Akan perspectives on the significance of names and naming-gctid51473

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

Names and their effects on one's life:
“Sɛnea yɛde wo to Temanmuhunu a, woremmɔ bra pa biara, na yɛde wo to Kɔɔayie a, ayie mpa wo fie da no, saa ara nso na sɛ yɛde wo to Afiriyie a, berɛ biara na siadeɛ di w’anim.”
“Just as one leads an unproductive life if one is named Sit-in-a-country-do-nothing, or one’s life is riddled with deaths (funerals) if one is named S/he-went-to-a-funeral, so does one have good luck in abundance if one is named He-came-at-a-good-time” (Kwabena Darko in Obeng, 2001: 1)

Names as markers of time and historical circumstances:
“Efie obiara frɛ no Kwame Hema anaasɛ Kwame ɔpɛ efisɛ yɛwoo no Memeneda anɔpahema ɔpɛ berɛ mu.”
“At home everyone calls him Male-born-on-Saturday-at-dawn or Male-born-on-Saturday-in-the-dry-season because he was born on Saturday at dawn during the dry season. (Kofi Agyare in Obeng, 2001: 9)

“Na me nana-baa frɛ me Ama Kɔɔayie efisɛ yɛwoo me Memeneda; ɛda a ɔhene panin no wuiɛ no. Nso nnipa a yɛne wɔn bɔ afipam no frɛ me Ama Dapaa efisɛ saa Memeneda no yɛ dapaa.”
“My grandmother used to call me Ama Kɔɔayie ‘Saturday-born female person who went to a funeral’ because I was born on Saturday, the day on which the big Chief passed away. However, the people in our neighborhood call me Ama Dapaa because that day was ‘Holy’ Saturday. (Ama Dapaa in Obeng, 2001: 25)