BY KOSSI GBEDIGA

An internationally-acclaimed African anthropologist explains the significance of African names, the intimate relationship between the name and its bearer.

In most societies across the world, names have meanings or incarnate legendary or biblical figures. Generally, African names not only have meanings, but also serve as an intimate relationship between them and their bearers. Dr. Albert Tingbé-Azalou, an internationally-acclaimed Beninese anthropologist, writes in one of his extensive researches on African names that “the name expresses the reality of the individual. It is like a part of the individual’s body. They are interdependent. The name is proportionate to the bearer who gives it a meaning, who influences it and is, in turn, influenced by it.” The renowned researcher stresses: “There is a physical and moral connection of sorts between the individual and his/her name. Therefore, the wording of the name calls to mind the individual’s way of being and way of acting.”

Factors determining the choice of names

Dr. Tingbé-Azalou’s research focused on the Ajà-fon group of southern Benin who are part of the

diverse Akan group that spills across present-day Côte d’ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Benin. In the Ajà-fon group, a child’s name is determined by gender, by the day of birth, or by a host of other factors such as special birth circumstances, physical characteristics (body shape, skin color, size, attractiveness, ugliness, health condition), intellectual abilities, order of birth (first child, second child, etc.), behavior, or special events. The Ajà-fon child can also be named after influential figures, local, national or foreign, present or past, who have influenced the life of the community.

Influence of the name on the bearer

Dr. Tingbé-Azalou’s field research reveals that in the Ajà-fon group, due to astrological influences, children have the following characteristics based on their day of birth: children born on Monday are very lucky and succeed easily in life. Those born on Tuesday are stubborn and are often exposed to fatal injuries because Tuesday is the day of “Gù,” the divinity of iron and warriors. Children born on Wednesday are not likely to succeed brilliantly in their undertakings. Thursday’s children are very nice and friendly. Children born on Friday are stubborn, physically strong and very combative. Saturday is the birth day of revengeful, unlucky children, whereas children born on Sunday are generous.

Dr. Tingbé-Azalou points out that “these beliefs are vulnerable,” to the extent that the individual’s behavior does not always meet the expectations based on the day of his birth. Part of the explanation comes from the fact that some children’s behavior is rather influenced by that of their parents or ancestors. Late-night birth can play a significant role, too. For instance, a child born at 11:30 p.m. on Monday, or 30 minutes after midnight on Tuesday morning, can be influenced by either day, or both.

Influence of the bearer on the name

The behavior (good or bad) and/or the personal achievements of an individual can earn him names from other members of the community. The new names gradually take over his initial names. His continued (good or bad) behavior will make the names increasingly popular or notorious. Also, youngsters between the ages of 18 and 21 sometimes choose names which Dr. Tingbé-Azalou referred to as “noms-programmes” (Wenyi) or “names with a mission.” Their bearers choose to accomplish a specific mission for the entire community and try to live up to their goals. The following sampling is just an indication, not complete by any means.

Influence of the name-giver on the name

Naming a child can be a means for parents or grand-parents to convey their own messages to the community. The name can be indicative of the giver’s personality, history, special concerns or goals at a particular time. Dr. Tingbé- Azalou mentions the case of a father who named his child “Gàndò,” the short form for “Hun mà jò gan dò” (the gong does not abandon the rhythm of the drum) at a time when the father was faced with a challenge that he did not want to give up. The name thus chosen was supposed to provide the father with the physical, mental and intellectual capabilities that he needed to succeed in his venture. One might also note the case of a grand-parent who named his grand-child “Madunu” (literally “does not eat”) to imply that the child’s mother does not feed her spouse properly.

Name Change

“You can’t change your destiny” says a popular Ajà-fon adage. Yet, the Ajà-fons try to turn away the evil forces associated with a child’s “natural” name. While the known name of a boy born on Tuesday may be Komlà, a special renaming ceremony can be arranged to give the child a new, hidden name which, unlike Komlà, will not expose the child to fatal injuries. Renaming ceremonies also help “dodge” bad spirits sent to an individual by his enemies. In Ajà-fon societies, evil-doers attempt to hurt their enemies by using the latter’s names. After a name change, if the new name is kept secret, an evil-doer is bound to miss his target, the bearer now being under the protection of his new name.

The tradition lives on

The toll taken on African culture by outside influence is well known. European invasion, through colonization and neo-colonization, coupled with “Muslim conquests” in animist regions, have affected many ancestral values, including the way people name their children. It has become fashionable to call oneself or one’s children Peter, Jean-François, Marie or Soumanou. The pressure of modern life in urban areas and the scarcity of African priests or elderly people well versed in the naming rituals have added insult to injury. Indeed, a Mèyaya (plain individual) cannot perform the complex naming rituals.

However, despite the wide-spread tendency to ape the West by choosing a Western name, sometimes even without being a Christian, most of the non-Muslim Ajà-fons covered by Dr. Tingbé-Azalou’s research do believe in the naming rituals. Urban-dwellers wait until they have two or three children to take their annual leave and travel back to their villages to have their children go through all the necessary naming rituals. If you don’t do so, most believe, the children are likely to develop later in life mental, intellectual or physical handicaps.