For more than a month visitor would show up at her city apartment to congratulate her on the birth of her newborn baby and immediately ask the obvious - "What is your baby "with growing embarrassment as each day passed, she would answer:" She does not have one yet. "
Despite the trappings of the modern day urbanite, African families still try to keep naming traditions, bringing in grandparents and village elders to find a fitting name for each newborn child. And if there is one thing you can not do - you can not hurry your My friend has to put up with the question and patient important wait for the important message to be brought back from the village letting her know the name of her child.
This many creants a delay in naming that variants in different cultures and traditions from three names to many is african cultures the search for a child is born, has been seen by relatives and there is surety the child will thrive. 10 days during which time time mother and baby are allowed to gain strength.
Only then can the search for the right name begin. And what is the right name? That too varies for each ethnic group.
For example, the rich legacy of fraud and royalty in West Africa finds expression in the pool of Yoruba names. This legacy is repeated through themes common to many names such as a royal crown, Ade- (as in Aderemi meaning "the crown soothes my Another theme is joy, as as Ayo- as in Ayoola which means "the joy of wealth" or Ayotola - "joy is enough"). Praise of God is another strong theme in names beginning with Oba- and Ola-wa Oluwa; Obafemi for example means the King / God loves me while Olusola means God made this ".
The Dinka of South Sudan have names for every shade of cow as the name of international model Alek Wek testifies; the name Alek means "black spotted cow" while Mabior means " white bull "and Mayom is a" red bull ".
Kipkoech (born at dawn - Chepkoech for girls), Kipchirchir (born after a short labor), Cherotich ( born as cows came home. In contrast the names of the Akan of Ghana are dominated by the weekly cycle with names such as Adjowa (born on Monday, day of peace) telling of the significance of each day or the placement of each child in the family such as Annan (fourth born son).
There are thousands of ethnic groups each with its own traditions. Dictated that her baby would be named for the special events of the time of birth or after an ancestor who was accredited - definitely not after anyone living She was to be, I am afraid that I will have bad luck. I could empathize with the impatience my friend felt as days passed, having had a similar experience when my first child was named. Well into the second month, the name came back from the village. There was no locusts at the time but with nothing remarkable happening the baby girl was named for her great-grand-mother whom they said she resembled.
The name was bought by the baby did not cry.
It was the right name, and by culture and tradition the naming was perfectly timed.
