”found My People”: The Story Of One Man’s Connection To His African Roots: Richard Kweku Akinyemi

Richard Kweku EzeAgu “Eze” Akinyemi is the Visceral Connections Coach (VCC). His inspirational book “Found My People, nearly ten years in the making, is a testament to how passionate he is about connecting the disconnected to the culture in their DNA. Eze believes that each disconnected African descendant can have a “revelation day” that will immeasurably enrich their lives and be nothing short of transformational.

​

That is what happened for him in 2013 when he visited Africa by way of Nigeria for the very first time. As he stood on the sands at Badagry beach, Eze had an experience that can only be described as visceral: with tears streaming down his cheeks, he considered that he and his daughter were the first people from his family to stand on African soil since his ancestors were so brutally taken from the continent hundreds of years before. It was there Eze received the poem “It’s In Your DNA”, encouraging him to “reject the lies of yesterday and embrace the greatness in his DNA”.

​

“You are an Igbo man!” These are the words Eze heard from native Nigerian Igbo people in each of the four cities he visited - Abuja, Abeokuta, Lagos and Badagry.

​

“You are a Yoruba man,” the native Nigerian Yoruba's in those same cities told him when they considered his features. A DNA test confirmed that on his Father’s side, Eze is a member of both the Igbo and Yoruba people which are two of the largest people groups in Nigeria. The DNA test also confirmed that on his mother’s side, he belongs to the Fante people of Ghana. Eze legally changed his name to reflect his heritage. Eze is also passionate about helping individuals and small businesses thrive! In addition to his work as a VCC, Eze owns a SME (Small to medium enterprise).

​

He is an exceptional trainer.  Eze served as the Chapter Chair for SCORE (Service Corps of Resource Executives), a small business counseling service organized under the US Small Business Administration (SBA). Initially volunteering as a business mentor for two years, Eze garnered national attention for the chapter with his outside-the-box thinking and management style when he stepped into the role of Chapter Chair. The model he established is still being utilized nationwide, and in honor of his outstanding accomplishments, Eze was awarded the “Chapter Chair Emeritus” status. He also served as a Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Board Advisor.

I strongly encourage everyone to follow him and be transformed by his insights. Everyone has a story, and this is his story. Below is a list of the sites that house his works.

https://www.instagram.com/ezeaguakinyemi/

https://www.foundmypeople.com/

https://twitter.com/@_foundmypeople

https://www.youtube.com/@embraceydnag