What’s in a name?
Ottawa singer reclaims her African heritage
OTTAWA —Inspired by the wave of Black Lives Matter activism following the Minneapolis police murder of George Floyd, the Ottawa singer-songwriter formerly known as Rita Carter has reclaimed the name her parents gave her in tribute to her Ugandan heritage.
From now on, the 33-yearold mother of two will be known by the first and last names on her birth certificate, Nambuusi Kyeyune, and the stage name, Nambi, she announced on social media last week.
“With this whole revolution that we’re all experiencing now with Black Lives Matter and Black voices being heard, I found it very important that I change my name to represent myself to the fullest, and my family and culture, in the hopes that I can also inspire younger people to do the same,” Kyeyune said in an interview, noting that her two young sons also have African names.
The singer had long been known by one of her two middle names, Rita, adopting the surname Carter in high school because of her “obsession”
with Toronto Raptors’ Vince Carter.
“I used to play basketball and model my game after him, and people started calling me Rita Carter,” she said. “Then when I went to Carleton (university) and started making music, it just stuck.”
Kyeyune’s parents moved to Ottawa in the late ’70s, drawn by a four-year job posting for her mother, an employee of the Ugandan embassy. When the term was over, they had a choice to go back to a country ravaged by civil war or to apply for permanent residency in Canada.
“My parents made the decision to stay here, but the plan was always to go back home,” Kyeyune said. “It just ended up that they never went back, except to visit. They’ve been in Canada now for the majority of their lives.”
Kyeyune, who was born and raised in Ottawa, visited Uganda about 10 years ago as part of a tour to promote her second album. She found out that she belongs to the Buganda tribe, that her greatuncle Kintu was the tribe’s first king (and a prime minister of Uganda), and his wife, Nambi, was their queen. The tribe’s totem animal is the ngali, the crested crane depicted on the Ugandan flag.
Despite the pride she felt in getting to know her culture, it took years to make the decision to use her African name. After all, her parents gave their four children English names, too, as part of a well-intentioned effort to make their lives easier.
“To be honest, maybe I was scared. Maybe people weren’t ready to accept it,” Kyeyune says now. “Timing is everything. That’s why it took me so long. It wasn’t the right time. Everybody is really speaking up now. It’s OK to be unapologetically Black.”
Kyeyune has received an influx of support and encouragement for her decision from friends of all races. She says it’s already inspired her songwriting and prompted her to explore different types of melodies.
When the time comes to be featured on a stage again, she will use the name Nambi to honour her great-aunt.
“I feel extremely liberated,” she said. “I’m the same person: I’m still going to spread love, and I’m still going to be positive and optimistic. I just felt it was my duty to have this name and use it.”