From Buxton to Nation Builder: The enduring legacy of Odinga Lumumba

Jun 28, 2026 News

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(Kaieteur News) – Fondly known in grassroots circles as the “Godfather” of Guyanese sports, politics and pageantry, Odinga Lumumba’s life has been defined by humility, resilience and an unwavering commitment to national development.

Lumumba’s roots were imbued with humility, independence, and reverence. Lumumba was born in July 1949. His mother, Elaine McNeal, who was raised under impoverished circumstances, was adamant that her only child, Odinga, would not go through life with a similar fate.

McNeal was firm in her belief that education was an important pathway out of poverty, and she dedicated much of her time teaching Odinga to read from a young age. At 4 years old, Lumumba was precociously reading short articles in the newspapers with his mother’s guidance. Lumumba jocularly recollected, “She ensured that I studied every night under candlelight until 9:00 pm because there was no electricity during my early years. She supervised my studies with the assistance of a belt,” he said in an interview.

Nevertheless, McNeal was not one-dimensional in raising her son, and when Odinga was old enough, she insisted that he partake in chores and Catechism.

While most 10-year-olds today are asleep or consumed by gadgets early in the morning, Lumumba’s daily sunrise routine was the opposite. In colonial British Guyana, he was already awake in the village of Buxton, East Coast Demerara, tending pigs and working in the family garden before attending seven o’clock mass at the Roman Catholic Church, before preparing for the 8:00 am train to school in Georgetown.

INDOMITABLE BLACK MAN

The septuagenarian said he hopes his legacy in Guyana is one where he is remembered as an indomitable” black man that gave selflessly to the development of this nation”, across politics and sports. He now urges especially poor youth to constantly educate themselves and look towards investing in their own entrepreneurship goals.

In addition, he hopes that his multifaceted career reflects a restless energy and a determination to help shape his country’s identity and elevate Guyana’s profile globally.

“It is my wish that youth today dream of developing their own businesses. The public service has its purpose, but it has too many people. Besides, working for a monthly salary in the public service ministry did not guarantee that you would get out of poverty. Young people have to dare to dream big… get their own; start with small investments. Guyana has enormous opportunities…,” Lumumba said during a recent interview.

“If there is one thing I want to be remembered for is that I loved people, hated poverty,  wanted equality, and fought for the development of sports in this country… leaving a legacy of a Black man that came from Buxton who worked to ensure democracy and fairness,” he added.

From the benches of Parliament to the glamour of Miss Universe, all with the main philosophy of discipline, ambition, and national pride, Lumumba has held education, sports, and determination as defining factors in life’s progression.

He credits the community of Buxton, long known for its proud Afro-Guyanese heritage and resilience for shaping his character.

“Buxton taught me that the value of persistence was not just chores but lessons in endurance,” he remarked.

Those fundamental lessons ultimately prepared him for the intellectual rigors of living and studying in the United States, “Growing up in Buxton gave me the foundation to never be afraid, and that determination pays off. I had to wake at 4am and get cracking; feeding pigs; watering the garden; going to early morning 7:00 am Catholic mass, and still getting to the train for 8:00 am. Many days I walked and ran from Georgetown to Buxton or got a ride on a horse cart…,” he reflected.

“To return home, if I missed the last train at 6pm, it meant I had to walk home, and many days I walked from town (Georgetown to Buxton) because I got carried away wanting to play with friends and being thrown in detention for fighting or some form of bad behaviour. But it is that foundation that gave me the boldness to not be scared of even Burnham (deceased President LFS Burnham),” he added.

Lumumba left Guyana for the United States and obtained his first degree in Economics, Geology, and later a Master’s of Science in Mineral Economics.

While he loved the sciences and learning about the earth’s mineral and energy resources, he was fully involved in politics and the Black movement in the United States, at a time when that country was struggling with racism and segregation.

The exposure to the world of politics would change Lumumba’s career choice. When he returned to Guyana in the early 1980s, he rejected work opportunities with the government and decided that fighting for democracy was of paramount interest.

“When I returned to Guyana, it was to work with Guymine, but staying in America so long and being involved in the movement and so on, I became a political animal. I got more interested in removing the Burnham regime and getting rid of that dictatorship,” he said.

“He was bringing a referendum to give the executive sweeping powers; too much authority, and I could not just let that happen. He was stifling the democratic rights of citizens and had been rigging elections. I opposed it,” Lumumba contended.

While he admits that he was once a supporter of the People’s National Congress, he said that he was not very active under Burnham because he was in the United States, but was very active under President Hugh Desmond Hoyte, who succeeded Burnham after he died.

But his stay with the PNC was short-lived, and Lumumba said that he left because he “felt like the PNC had lost its way and did not have the grassroots and the masses’ well-being at heart.

He joined the former Prime Minister and PNC Executive Hamilton Green and others, and they formed a party called the Good and Green Guyana Party.

A person who holds firm to the belief that friends can have opposing political views and compartmentalise politics from friendship, he said that Hamilton Green will always be his friend.

He would also later part ways with the party he helped his friend, Green form, and subsequently decided to retire from politics.

A CIVIC

It was PPP founding member and deceased President Cheddi Jagan that Lumumba said called and asked if he would join his movement and fight racism and injustice. A calling he heeded and has never looked back or regretted. “The PNC lost its way, and I said I would give up politics altogether and focus on developing sports and youth. But Dr. Jagan called me, and I told him I was retiring, and he said that I was too young to retire, so he asked me to join him in bringing back democracy and unity to the people of Guyana,” he recalled.

“The CIVIC faction was formed, and I am one of the original members. When Dr. Jagan died, Mrs. Jagan carried on his legacy, and later Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo. Some people may not like (Jagdeo), but they do so a lot from stories told second-hand to them. I am not asking anyone to blindly follow any party or person, but they must research for themselves. Separate fact from fiction and tell me about a Guyana of the past and a Guyana under the PPP. You would be lying if you don’t see how this country has transformed,” he posited.

 CONTRIBUTION TO SPORTS

Lumumba said that his football initiatives were not just about winning matches. It was also about building character. He referred to Director of Sports, Steve Ninvalle, as he pointed out that he saw him as a son and someone he could mentor. “I saw that potential in Steve when he was a journalist at Stabroek News and told him to come out of that. That isn’t his destiny, and he was wasting his talent. Steve left the job, and the rest is history,” he said.

He said that his political career reflected his belief that sports and culture are integral to nation-building, and one of the main reasons he has consistently argued that investment in these areas was not a luxury but a necessity for Guyana’s progress.

It is the same passion for sports and mentorship of youth that he carried to young footballers across the country, and the reason he brought the Alpha United Football Club to the country’s premier soccer team during the early 2000s. Lumumba said that his football initiatives were not just about winning matches. They were about creating opportunities for young people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. His work in football mirrors his political advocacy, and he strongly views sports as a vehicle for empowerment and national development.

“I am the first person to pay a monthly salary to all members of the Alpha United football team and brought in overseas players to participate as professionals. These were mostly young men from poor neighbourhoods, and they also needed motivation and some sort of incentive. I wanted them to know that sports is a vehicle out of poverty, and I was willing to put my money where my mouth was when I said I believed in them,” he reasoned.

“At the same time, I was pressing for recreational systems to be developed. More parks were needed, facilities we had needed upgrades. It was a collective package, and when people in Guyana felt football was a poor man’s sport, I held a different view. I envisaged sport as an avenue to lift the poor man out of dire circumstances and societal ills. Upgrading the lives of the young black men was a way of getting them out of the ghetto. Look now at the World Cup players, they are making millions. We have the talent, and trust me, we will get there too,” he added.

Lumumba’s influence in boxing is equally significant. He became a manager and promoter, guiding fighters to international recognition. He managed boxers like Andrew Murray and Anthony ‘The Pearl’ Andrews, helping them to secure world title challenges and national representation on the world stage. The ability to organise, promote, and secure international bouts, he believes, “demonstrated that if you are passionate and determined enough, you can navigate your skills also in the global sports industry.”

PAGEANTRY

In the middle of his parliamentary career, Lumumba became the owner of the Miss Guyana Universe pageant, securing the national franchise for Miss Universe. He credits local designer Pat Coates and a “team of quality people” that persuaded him to enter pageantry promotion as a deliberate move to expand Guyana’s cultural footprint.

He posits that the goal of bringing higher production standards here improved contestant training and helped with international exposure. In 2012, Miss Universe 2011, Leila Lopes of Angola, attended the Miss Guyana Universe finals, which was a landmark event that showcased Guyana’s growing relevance in global pageantry. Guyana’s pageant ambassadors have also done well to represent our country, he said. “They have gone to many countries to showcase Guyana’s melting pot of cultures and diversity and represented our nation with poise and grace.”

And while many have concluded his no-nonsense stance on issues is harsh, beneath the thundering voice and stoic face is a warm person and “just a man who wants to see Guyana progress and turn the potential it has into results”.

For this reason, he has quietly and without pomp and fanfare continued to give back to both football and boxing.

He is also a member of the Guyana Boxing Board. Decades later, Lumumba remains relevant and respected in the boxing fraternity. In 2024, he was appointed Advisor to the Guyana Boxing Association, underscoring his enduring influence in the growth and development of the sport.

As he prepares to celebrate his 77th birthday on the 16th of July, Lumumba hopes that his life will read like a chronicle of grit and transformation, where the lessons of the soil shaped the convictions of a statesman. He served in Parliament, was a champion of Guyanese sport, works as a Presidential Advisor, has showcased his beloved nation, and leads as an inspiration for youth development.

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• Buxton, Odinga Lumumba, Steve Ninvalle

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