Zakiya Naila Uzoma Wadada

Senior Producer

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Emancipation, for Zakiya Naila Uzoma Wadada, is the ongoing journey toward fully realising our African selves. It’s a definition that guides and shapes her life and leadership as executive chair of the Emancipation Support Committee (ESC) of Trinidad and Tobago.

Empowered by the Black Power Revolution of the 1970s, Wadada began embracing her African identity early on and was never afraid to take bold steps to affirm that path and seal her journey. One of her first bold steps was legally changing her name by deed poll—a move that formalised her identity as a Trinidadian woman of African descent.

Today, she is called Zakiya, meaning intelligent, Naila, one who succeeds, and Uzoma, which means the right way. Wadada is her married name.

Those names zero in and reflect core aspects of her identity. Wadada sees herself as a teacher; it is an aspect of her character that was revealed even as she undertook the exploration of her Orisa journey. And as chair, that is how she is approaching her leadership: educate, empower, and be a good example.

In doing the work of the committee, she seeks to encourage “our people to make that same journey that I am on back to ourselves”. Because that journey leads to peace and self-fulfilment.

Walking through the Emancipation Village in the Queen’s Park Savannah, you can see it is set up to allow the full exploration of the senses. From authentic African dishes to local derivative delicacies. There are books, fashion and art exhibitions designed to pique one’s interest, and perhaps trigger deeper exploration.

One such booth is African Ancestry, in Trinidad for the first time. Its president and founder, Dr Gina Page, came here after meeting Wadada and Akilah Jaramogi, the Merikin CEO of the Fondes Amandes Community Reforestation Project.

“We were introduced and they taught me about the work that goes on with their two organisations and how Emancipation Day would be the perfect time to help educate Trinidadians, and people from around the Caribbean, about the value of knowing exactly where you came from,” Dr Page said.

She said the journey has been a wonderful personal exploration for her and has provided a meaningful foundation for her company to help Caribbean people uncover a history that goes far beyond enslavement.

For Wadada, the village offers real ways for people to engage with ideas that can leave a lasting impact or spark new ways of thinking.

The work of the ESC is vast, including the pursuit of reparatory justice—an uphill battle in systems not built to recognise the crimes of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. There has been no formal apology for that crime against humanity, and while compensation was paid, it went to the enslavers, not the enslaved.

But, as Wadada points out, our histories never began at enslavement, and re-educating the public about this truth has been a challenge. This is why she says Emancipation is a journey back to ourselves.

While handling the many moving parts of the Village last week, she was also navigating a suddenly fractious relationship with the Ministry of Culture and Community Development. That, she said, was already on the mend, and that encounters with Minister Michelle Benjamin have always been courteous.

But the fallout over funding for the ESC was an unwelcome speed bump on Wadada’s very full calendar. However, one of her defining traits is her quiet diplomacy and steadfast character. The work will be done, and Wadada is not one to allow shifting circumstances to alter her course or change her.

For Wadada, Emancipation is not a date—it is a living, breathing process. And as long as there are people ready to listen, learn, and walk the path of rediscovery, she will be there to lead with purpose, pride, and unwavering dignity.