Eusi Kwayana has had the absolute highest impact on the person I am today

Dear Editor,

My name is Omolara Oluwafunmilaiyo Tafawa. It is a name so distinctly African that back home in Guyana, everyone asks, “Is weh she come from wid all that name?” When I respond, “My father is from Buxton and my mother is from Bachelor’s Adventure,” they laugh and say, “Oh, Nigeria! Yuh really gat dem people face.” I always smile, because I know the truth: my name lives because of Eusi Kwayana—a man I never met.

On the flip side, when I am walking the soil of the African continent, almost no one takes a second look or questions my heritage. Well, rarely. On occasion, in a quiet village setting, a curious uncle might lean in with one eyebrow raised suspiciously and ask in a whisper, “What tribe are your people from?” Perfect. Another beautiful opportunity to speak about Eusi Kwayana—a man I never met.

I am 50 years old now, but I have spent 25 of those years living on the Motherland—in Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi, and South Africa. I crossed that ocean because of Eusi Kwayana—a man I never met.

Both of my parents attended County High School. My oldest sister is named Tchaiko, after Eusi’s beautiful wife. Today, most of my parents’ grandchildren carry a meaningful African name. This legacy continues because of Eusi Kwayana—a man I never met.

I have been an Italist and a vegan for 26 years. Decades ago, when I first told my parents that I was giving up meat and transitioning to a plant-based diet, they nodded and remarked how I was walking just like Eusi Kwayana—a man I never met.

When my children play out in the sun, speaking to each other fluently in Twi or Chichewa with their dreadlocks glimmering in the African heat, I know within the depths of my soul it is because of the teachings of Eusi Kwayana—a man I never met.

Whenever the sisters in the Rastafari Community organize projects, we instinctively revert to the Village Movement systems—cooperatives I would know nothing about if not for the teachings of Eusi Kwayana- a man I never met.

When I am in Africa, I build water wells in the villages I call home, and I organize cooperative groups with local farming women. I do it not for fame or glory, but simply for the people. I do it because of Eusi Kwayana—a man I never met.

So I sit in the quiet spaces of my mind and reflect on my life, I realize a profound truth: for a man I have never met, he has had the absolute highest impact on the person I am today.

Sincerely,

Omolara Oluwafunmilaiyo Tafawa