“The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.” Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart.
Some of the things the white man put a knife on may be our names. When they couldn’t pronounce the multi-syllabic and difficult indigenous African names, we adopted their corrupted and anglicised mispronunciation of the things that define our identity. Mowire became Moree, Kuntu became Blankson, Atta became Arthur while Bosomafi turned out quite English as Bosomfield.
My great-grandfather did not have a Christian name but my father was named John. So I am also Benjamin. I named my sons Reagan and Randall. In fact, my sons are also Benjamin. Randall’s traditional name is Nana Prempeh (after his godfather Joseph Nana Prempeh, a truthful and very decent man I met in London long before I would meet Randall’s mum). As tradition demands, Reagan had been named after my father (Kwesi Incoom). At home Reagan is Nana Kojo Incoom, but nobody calls him by that.
Choosing a slave name
What are my worst faults for picking these names for my children? My friend Kwame, a university lecturer in Toronto, usually teased that I had denied my kids their true Ghanaian and African identity by naming them Reagan and Randall. He called them slave names that remind him of the evils of colonialism. Kwame’s children have no English or Christian names; one of them is Barima Kofi Kyenkyenhene.
Kwasi Kyei Darkwah (KKD), one of Ghana’s finest broadcasters and fashionistas, also hates slave names. In a recent interview on radio, the ace communications practitioner berated Ghanaians who give their kids Christian names, instead of local names that carry the true identity of the African: “I have a son, Kwaku Darkwa Kyei Darkwa, and a daughter, Ohema Asokwa Kyei Darkwa, and because they carry the nomenclature of their culture, when people say their names, people can tell a proud son of Ghana, a proud daughter of Ghana.”
Like my friend in Toronto, KKD defends the local identity to the core. He found it insulting that a teacher asked for his son’s Christian name. He went to the school to ask questions, wondering what the imposition of a Christian name meant for Buddhists, Muslims and traditionalists. Good show, KKD.
Culture and identity
Michael Jackson looks white, thinks blue and pretends to be black. Kwasi Kyei Darkwa speaks white, dresses white and looks black. His suits are European tailored; he rarely wears African print, except when he wants to make a fashion statement. The day my cousin heard him speaking Twi, she wondered whether he was not speaking in another person’s voice, like a ventriloquist: “So he can speak Twi?; he looks so foreign.”
Even with a traditional Ashanti name, KKD does not typify the quintessential Ghanaian cultural identity when he is clothed in suits and colourful shoes that adorned the manicured bodies of bourgeoisie white masters. The converse is also true. Ghanaians who wear the Kente cloth and traditional slippers may not necessarily be credited with the most convincing expression of the Ghanaian culture and identity.
Are Reagan, Randall and other Christian names non-Ghanaian and therefore slave names? I do not think so. Not every John or Peter is a disciple of Jesus Christ. There are good reasons why nobody has called their daughter Rahab or their son Judas in the last quarter of this century. While no Ghanaian is named Jesus, in reverence to the only son of God, you would find a Jesus on every street corner in most parts of the Spanish-speaking world. My roommate in Canada is Dr. Raphael Jesus Falcon.
What is in a name?
As Africans, our names carry important meanings and may have some historical or cultural significance. During Randall’s naming ceremony, my white friends wondered whether my wife and I hadn’t thought of a name for the baby before the day of the ceremony. They also wondered why the pastor asked me to explain and justify the name I had chosen for my son. And why would I name my son after a friend?
I did not have in mind a slave master called Reagan or even the former American President, Ronald Reagan, when I chose the name, even though I admit the coincidence works out fine. Randall (shield) reminds me of the good human values of Nana Prempeh than the Anglo-Saxon origins of the name. Whether as a protest or a stern statement of disapproval, Africans who are quick to invoke the horrific imageries of slavery needlessly are in a slave trade of their own.
I enjoy the rare honour and privilege of usually being asked by friends to help pick names for their children. I have always chosen English and Christian names for the lovely tots. One of my young friends in Atlanta sought my opinion on a difficult regal-sounding African name he had chosen for his son. I asked him whether the teachers in Atlanta will be familiar with a name that the average Ghanaian struggles to pronounce.
New patterns in names
When he was six years, the child demanded to know why he didn’t have a nice name like his friends. In Atlanta, Bradley Philips is likely to have a job interview quicker than Danso Abbeam Pumpuni. When Fanteman, Mr. Phillips, turns up for the interview, the hiring managers are shocked to see a black man with a nice, familiar name. They will treat him with the same disdain they would have dismissed Danso-Abbeam.
The new patterns and variations in the rendition of traditional names are quite revealing if not enslaving. Whether for emphasis or sheer style, there is a repetition of one item in the same name order, as in Kwaku Darkwa Kyei Darkwa. I have also come across Akosua Acheampong Osei Acheampong. This extravagant superfluity is not Ghanaian.
Pastor Mensa Otabil named his children Nhyira, Aseda and Sompa, and suddenly these names have replaced the proverbial Mensah in every home, alongside Adom and Nkunim. A couple in my church named their fine baby Animonyamba. Her surname is also a mouthful. How long does she carry such a name? She is only two months old.
Source: Today
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But do u know the origins of your so called christian and bible names?It will amaze you if you care to research.By the way which bible are you talking about?Are you referring to the same bible which was brought to you by ***barred word***,killers,***barred word*** and materialitic barbarians from obroniland who ended up killing and enslaving your ancestors and stealing your wealth?No wonder now Ghanaian pastors are so corrupting and duping people in the name of the bible.Are you still referring to the bible that shed so much blood during the so called war called crusade?You got to be serious next timne before you write OK?iF YOU DONT HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY PLEASE DONT WRITE.
Some of are local names are from god's, rivers, trees, etc. eg bosomkyie, Odum, Tano, etc. As for us ewes we have the worse surnames and you want me to baptized my child with such horrible local names. I better name them from the bible.
Kkd,you must first stop imitating the slave master.Dress in African clothes.
The vietnamese,cambodians,laos etc don't change their names.Give us a break!!!!!
Ben you are just like the writer you both don't know what you are talking about. Names are our true identity. Anyway if your foreign friend does something for you and wants to compliment or thank him or her,the reward must never be your child identity. Names are strictly lineage,the earlier we know and accepts that as GHANAIANS and AFRICANS in general the better for us. For Christ sake who names their child Manu,Mensah,Afua,etc in the western world. Mr.writer we must no more play second class humans because we want our names sound like them or be advantaged when looking for jobs.....look to yourself,anyway grass is greener and your feet and the more build on ours the better it will be for.....we must not change our lineage and identities for sweet sounds or jobs or education or better still to make whites happy. Some so called christian names are evil...more we speak twi and are identified as such....you pick English names and you look ***barred word*** to them. Like someone said you started on a bright note but ended up in an abysmal failure. Please come again....Kwasi Kyei Darkwa. Thank you Sir.
Look, call yourself Nhyira, Adom, Aseda or whatever name you think will bring blessings in your childs life. If you don't get yourself the right education and work hard in life, ur so-called blessed name won't take you anywhere. When are we going to use our brains to change our life's? It's just like having talent but not backed with hard work - complete waste. Let's get smart and serious people. God never wished us to be this lazy and not using wisdom. Wake up Ghanafuo.
Yes well chosen Christian names have deeper meanings and ipmact immensely on ones life. Proud always to say thus far has the Lord brought me.
He comes around as a clown wearing clothes which are not African. He also goes around with postinor 2 in his pocket.
Phones are technologies and not a culture or tradition. The definition of culture from my J.S.S days has not changed - The way of life of a people; dressing, eating, language, religion, marriage process and ceremonies, names and their ceremonies, etc.
Dear Writer you started your piece well but you ended it as a house nnigger -who when his white slave master is sick, says we are sick.I have enough Ghanaians annd Africans who try to justify and defend the indefensible in atrocies and destruction committed by the white man against our people.We better start doing the right thing and live our lives as the Creator want us to and stop living in the image of those who killed our ancestors and culture.Of course KKD should start styling himself in Ghanaian cloths and speak our language if he wants some of us to take him serious.