AFRICAN PERSONAL NAMES

The history of a people is a critical determinant of the growth and development of their humanity. People of African descent, especially, have experienced a myriad of challenges from the days of the slave trade through colonisation and then political independence The inception of the slave trade was the beginning of the reduction and denigration of the African heritage. The Europeans, the Arabs and the Africans who perpetrated the sale of Black people across America, Europe, and the Arabian regions, have caused massive damage to the psychological growth of the African. Black African slave trade lasted some 400 years. The practice, reported to have started as search for labour for industrialisation and development, became a dehumanising episode of the black person. African men, women and children were treated as chattel. Owners of newly acquired slaves renamed them after their own kind. So therefore, an African slave could have different names bestowed upon him/her throughout their existence as slaves. Of course, the names are generally European-American names: indigenous African names have long been disposed of. And woe betides slaves that reject these names. The case of Kunta Kinte was forcefully made. Kunta Kinte refused the name that the new owner was imposing on him. Kunta Kinte was subjected to severe beatings for being bold enough to decline the imposition of a foreign name. Colonisation was the direct consequence of the slave trade. Nations that were colonised by Europeans tended to have had the sad experience of having had their people captured and sold into the ignominious slave occupation. Ghana, Nigeria, and Gambia were a few of the countries that were central in the slave trade and subsequently became colonies of Britain. These anglophone countries do not have indigenous languages as national languages. They have all adopted the colonial master’s language as the lingua franca of the countries: English. As a consequence of the colonial status and English being the national language, English names are commonly adopted by the people during baptism, Christian conversions and ceremonies that require name advocacy. It is for this reason that English names dominate the Ghanaian landscape. And the preponderance of Christian churches has increased the demand and adoption of Christian names, which generally are in English. Political independence was the next stage of ridding Black Africa of the shackles of dominance and occupation. The clamour for political independence was loudest in the 1960s when many colonised African nations gained freedom from European colonial masters, particularly, Britain and France. Ghana, for example, was the first African nation south of the Sahara that gained its political liberty from Britain, in 1957. Kwame Nkrumah led the demonstrations and upheavals during the period of “self-government now”, in the Gold Coast, which subsequently became Ghana after independence. The change of country name, from the Gold Coast to Ghana, brought with it a rejuvenation and hope and excitement to the people. Kwame Nkrumah, who became the first President, inspired a new belief in the capabilities of the Blackman. In speech to the nation on the day of independence, Kwame Nkrumah intimated among other things, that “at long last, the battle is ended! And thus, Ghana, your beloved country is free forever” and “that after all the black man is capable of managing his own affairs”. African Personality has thus been born. The new era in Ghana spread across the continent of Africa. Soon, all countries under colonial rule were agitating for change in the tatus quo. Country after country began to seek freedom and indeed many were granted. The country trailblazer, Ghana, led the way fully and with clear determination that every country on the continent shall be free from colonial bondage and economic hamstring. Though political independence was generally achieved, economic, cultural, and social independent attainments were proving a lot more difficult. African countries could not shed the yolk of colonial heritage. Almost all the independent countries adopted the economic and social lifestyles of the colonial masters. One would have expected that at least 40 years after most countries gained political independence, African countries would have extricated themselves from the shackles of dominance. Unfortunately, the economic stranglehold on the countries is so strong and unforgiven that the African countries have given up the fight. Education in the sciences, literature and the languages was based on the colonial experiences. The independent countries or subjects adopted the curricula, subject-matters, and the features of the education system of the colonial masters. School children of British colonies were taught the English as the first language, followed by all the subjects of the school curriculum. French countries were even assimilated to the extent that public holidays in France were celebrated in the colonies as well. Indigenous practices were largely limited. The countries beliefs in their ancestors were seen as primitive and sinful. African natural experiences were relegated to the villages and rural areas. African political leadership however made small efforts to maintain some indigenous ways of life. People still practised and adhered to their shrines and deities. The Yeʋe cult in the Anlo areas in the Volta Region, the Yoruba Òrìsà in Nigeria, the Vodun religious worship in Benin and a few others have persisted since enslavement and colonisation. These matters and many more have been covered in this book. It is believed that the matters discussed impact every person of African extraction. Let us hope that the small steps taken by some African leaders to maintain their indigenous names and indigenous practices, would persist and extend beyond the continent to all geographical locations.