They say a name like mine can hold you back in life, but I will never change it | Xaymaca Awoyungbo

Xaymaca means “land of wood and water” and it was the name given to modern-day Jamaica by the Taino people, the early inhabitants of the island.

It became Jamaica ( juh-may-kuh ) as a result of mispronunciation by Spanish colonists.

Research shows candidates with difficult-to-pronounce names are much less likely to find their first academic job.

Xaymaca Awoyungbo is a freelance football writer and film director.

His first name has the same number of letters as Charles and the same syllables as Benjamin .

We should all take pride in our names, he says.

By displaying and pronouncing my name so publicly, I hope I am making things easier.