Eusi Kwayana, Guyanese political veteran and WPA co-founder, dies at 101

Eusi Kwayana, a prominent Guyanese political activist, historian, and educator, has died at the age of 101. Born Sydney Evanson King, he passed away on Saturday, October 10, 2026, at his home in Atlanta, Georgia.

Kwayana’s extensive political career spanned the era of British colonial rule through to independent Guyana. He was a founding member of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) alongside Dr. Cheddi Jagan and served as Minister of Communication and Works in 1953 before the colonial administration suspended the government. He later held roles within the People’s National Congress (PNC) before co-founding the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) in 1974 alongside Dr. Walter Rodney.

Recognized as the ‘Sage of Buxton,’ Kwayana was a central figure in Pan-Africanist organizing, helping establish the African Society for Cultural Relations with Independent Africa (ASCRIA). He served as a Member of Parliament in Guyana’s National Assembly starting in 1985 and remained a committed leader within the WPA until his death. His legacy includes significant contributions to grassroots mobilization, social justice, and Afro-Guyanese cultural consciousness.