Kwayana: a great Guyanese son for the ages

Oct 13, 2026 Features / Columnists, The GHK Lall Column

(Kaieteur News) – The day had to come. An exceptional one it is, for such is reaching the landmark figure of 101 in this life. By itself, it speaks of a passage in life that made the extraordinary look ordinary. But when Eusi Kwayana travelled those 101 years, they took on a gleam that was simply more than human. For the Sage of Guyana was not just a man of his time, but of one beyond his time. Am I up to this task? This task of honoring a truly great Guyanese, one that I would dare to number among this nation’s Founding Fathers.

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them” is from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night (Act 2, Scene 5). I can’t say anything about Eusi Kwayana and his being born great. But with all the strength and skill that I am capable of, the man achieved greatness, and he had the call of greatness thrust upon him. From his journey in the crags and moors, the dark places and highlights, of Guyana, those are all a tribute to his greatness. Nothing that I can pen adds to that homespun truth.