My name is Ntwali and it means warrior. It used to embarrass me but now I hope I can live up to it
CBC
This First Person article is written by Ntwali Kayijaho, a Rwandan Canadian hip-hop artist living in Edmonton. His story is part of Black on the Prairies, a CBC collection of articles, essays, images and more exploring Black life in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. For more information about First Person stories, see the FAQ.
Hello, my name is Ntwali Kayijaho and I'd like to introduce myself.
I know, I know what you're thinking right now. How do you pronounce that? Is there a clicking sound? Is it Twali? Is it Nit-Wali? Where is it from? Where are you from?
Before moving to Alberta, I had no idea how unique my name was. Or how difficult it would be for people to pronounce.
I was four when my family moved to Canada as refugees from Rwanda. Out of all the options — places like Belgium, California, Oregon, New York, Buffalo — my parents decided that Windsor, Ont., would be the best fit for them and their four sons and a fifth child on the way.
Eight years later when we moved to Edmonton, my 12-year-old self had no awareness of the identity dilemma I was about to embark on.
In my native tongue of Kinyarwanda, "Ntwali" means warrior or brave person. According to my parents, Ntwali stood out when they were searching for a name to give me.
I was born on July 13, 1996, two years after the end of one of the world's worst genocides. The 100-day massacre that targeted Tutsi people like my family — one of the two minority populations of Rwanda — ended on July 15, 1994, with an estimated 800,000 to one million people dead.
My parents chose to stay among the Tutsi people who tried to rebuild the country but in March 2000, they decided it was too difficult to remain and went in search of a better life in Canada.
My parents shielded us from the tough times they'd known.
My father, a renowned physician in Rwanda, was not viewed as being as educated as he was once we arrived in Canada. Therefore, he would commute across the border daily to do a master's in public health at Wayne State University in Detroit. He managed to graduate at the top of his class while volunteering at a hospital pushing wheelchairs, working full-time at the United Way and providing for the family.
My mother, who had been a teacher and a business owner in Rwanda, had to lay down her hustler's spirit to raise five boys. On top of that, they were both still coping with the trauma of losing family, friends and property in Rwanda.
I was around 17 when my parents explained the meaning of my name. After what they had gone through, they needed a warrior in their lives.
Today I am honoured that my name carries so much power, intention and the richness of my family's identity. But 12-year-old me did not know how beautiful and meaningful my name was and I had the complete opposite reaction to it.
Police services across northern Ontario say most illicit drugs circulating in their communities are being transported from southern parts of the province, while prescription drugs diverted into the illegal market continue to pose a serious and ongoing threat.
The case of a child who was killed by his mother shortly after being returned from foster care has shed a rare and needed spotlight on the child welfare system, say experts in the field.
G.E. Barbour may be best known for its King Cole tea, but the Sussex company’s peanut butter is apparently what everyone wants overseas.
Seven years into an early onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Sandra Demontigny's home is full of reminders.
A blizzard gusting across southern Manitoba is leaving a long list of highway and school closures.
While a blizzard threatened outside, Saskatoon city council endured an icy blast inside city hall from a Riversdale business leader over its homeless initiatives.
This is a story about fire, faith and marshmallows.
Alberta’s population bucked the trend that almost every other Canadian province and territory experienced last quarter, Statistics Canada population estimates suggest.
A U.S. judge on Wednesday blocked Michigan from enforcing a 2020 order to shut down Enbridge's Line 5 oil pipeline running beneath a channel linking two of the Great Lakes, ruling that pipeline safety is a federal responsibility.
When retired RCMP constable Jason Hydamacka heard the news that the insurance money for his amputated leg was coming, he sat in his truck and cried.
As Neskantaga First Nation’s youngest band councillor, Lashaunda Waswa says she wants to inspire the next generation to protect the community’s land, water and wildlife.
Toronto has seen a drop in crime rates across the city, but its police chief says youth crime rates continue to be a cause for concern.
Cambridge council has voted to request a pedestrian safety review of Cedar Street from the region after two back-to-back collisions last week, one of which killed a three-year-old girl.