Baba Eusi Kwayana: inspirational story telling
Apr 13, 2025
Kaieteur News- In an effort to pass on his wisdom and lived history to the younger generation and wider audience, Baba Eusi Kwayana on Wednesday delivered an uplifting and powerful session filled with storytelling and a video screening of some of his most impactful works in Guyana.
Baba Eusi telling his story and sharing inspiration to audiences
For those present, the evening wasn’t just educational—it was transformational. The kind of encounter that stays with you. The kind that sends you home thinking about your grandmother’s hands, your grandfather’s strength, your own purpose.
The event was held at the University of Guyana’s Education Lecture Theatre (ELT), where supporters—dressed proudly in traditional African attire, gathered to hear the story of Baba Eusi. Among the audience were curious students, elders, and long-time admirers, all eager to witness a moment that was more than just a presentation, it was a celebration of legacy.
For Baba Eusi, it was not a lecture in the usual sense, it was a revival, an ode to the spiritual grounding of storytelling.
The event—rich with ritual and reflection—was beyond words. It was a call to action, and collaboration amongst people to better develop the nation. His son Ras Kofi joined him.
He said, “We are a humanity made up of many peoples,” Baba Eusi began, his voice strong but calm, “and among them are scientists, sociologists, and seekers of truth—all called to return to their root.”
Ras Kofi during his presentation
That root, he reminded the gathering, lies not just in DNA or documents, but in the deep spiritual and cultural legacy of Africa. But Africa, to Kwayana, isn’t just a continent—it’s a fountain of ancient wisdom, invention, and resilience. It is, in his words, “the land of the firsts.”
“We honour the first blacksmiths, the first midwives, the first fishers, the first weavers,” “We honour the first storytellers, the first scientists, the first astronomers—those who charted the stars without telescopes. We honour the builders of the first civilizations along the rivers.”
Baba Eusi spoke of empires forgotten by mainstream textbooks—like that of Queen Makeda, whose rule once reached as far as what we now know as India. He told of early African and Indigenous seafarers who crossed oceans long before Columbus, founding civilizations across the Caribbean, Central and South America, and even parts of Australia.
“They came as free people,” he said. “And their energy still reigns on the lands they touched.”
But Kwayana didn’t leave the hard truths behind. He confronted colonialism head-on—how it divided, distorted, and demonized.
Students and supporters engaging in the impactful storytelling
“There was a time when our people met each other for the first time—African and Indian—and instead of unity, they were met with unnatural division,” he said. “They were taught evil things about each other.” Yet, through that darkness, Baba Eusi called for light. He asked that we remember not just the well-known figures, but the everyday ancestors who laboured, suffered, and loved so that we could stand where we are today.
“We honour them for their resilience. We honour them for the dignity they held on to, even when they were made to feel ashamed.”
Still, Kwayana paid homage to some of Guyana’s greatest minds—giants who merged scholarship with activism: Dr. Walter Rodney – “The conscience of our dying nation, Martin Carter – “A voice of thunder, a mind of lightning and Dr. Cheddi Jagan – “A man who took his knowledge to the streets, lighting the way for others.”
In a particularly touching close, Baba Eusi along with Ras Kofi turned his gaze to the future—to the children yet to be born.
“We honour them,” he said softly, “not just for surviving—but for flourishing. For the day when they will stand in a circle, and call our names.”
The event also featured video screenings of Kwayana’s life and works, showing rare footage of village life, oral histories, and his reflections on Guyana’s journey through the eyes of an activist, a teacher, and a spiritual guide.
(Baba Eusi Kwayana: inspirational story telling )
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