“And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6
The process of naming is a very sacred one that is often taken very lightly. An age old question is: ‘What’s in a name?’ In fact in Act 2 Scene 2 of Shakespeare’s Romeo And Juliet we read: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.” Juliet is telling Romeo that a name is an artificial and meaningless convention and she affirms her love for the person and not the name. (www.enotes.com)
At the heart of Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott’s Dream On Monkey Mountain is the search for and acceptance of one’s identity. When Makak is questioned early in the play, he cannot tell the corporal Lestrade his real name. In the dramatisation of Alex Haley’s Roots, Kunte Kinte is beaten into submission until he adopts his English-imposed name of “Toby”. Trans-Atlantic slavery itself revolved around the raping of the millions of Africans of their identity and culture.
One of the products and successes of colonialism is the extent to which we continue to carry other people’s names and by extension their culture, thereby losing a large part of who we are.
It is said that one’s name enhances one’s security and self-image and gives one a sense of importance. Within the context of teaching and learning, the first word a child learns to read is his name.
Your name therefore creates your life, your personality, your likes, your dislikes, your ideals and most important, the conditions and experiences you will attract in life. (www.Kabalarians.com)
Within the context of the family, conception creates an air of expectation and parents deliberate on the name or names to be given to the unborn.
One of the most important tasks is that of naming the child, for this is about “creating the child’s future”. In working class families the exercise does not loom as large as it should. As such, many working class children are named loosely without much thought being given to meaning and implications. If it is true that names have a hidden energy behind them that greatly influences a baby’s destiny, then we need to pay more attention to this sacred process.
In ancient Rome, a person’s name was not static but often evolved with his status or social connections. For example, Emperor Augustus (63 BC) was born as Gaius Octavius. If one looks at the tradition of naming in post-colonial societies, one finds that there have been changes in the kinds of names given to the young.
During the 1940s and into the 1960s, the names assigned were generally English or biblical in origin. Names like Peter, David, John, Michael and Maurice were very popular. When I was at school a classmate’s name was Israel and the name Joshua was not uncommon. In that era, girls were called Rebecca, Jessica, Alice, Angela and Esther. Accompanying the quest for independence, there was a corresponding shift in assigned names.
The traditional English names which we adopted soon gave way to names some of which were assigned blindly without any knowledge of their meaning.
In my early years as a teacher during the 1970s, virtually every male infant was called Amal, Jamar, Jamal, Kamal or Omar. But the etymology of these names is problematic. While the Arabic links in these names are more positive, “mar” and “mal” have clear negative connotations in other contexts. Implicit in the word “mar” is the concept of “spoiling”. As a prefix, “mal” is a negative. Many parents have been giving names of African origin to their offspring.
Names like Amber, Aisha, Ashaki, Akilah have become more prevalent. For males, Amir, which means commander, is also very popular.
At this time of year, the name that will be the centre of attraction is Jesus.
The prophet Isaiah spoke of the powerful identity associated with this name. Jesus Christ deserves to be called “Wonderful” for what He was in the past; for what He is in the present; and for what He shall be in the future. The name Jesus Christ is also translated as marvellous and miraculous, implying that He is more than man: the separated one. (www.spurgeon.org)
In conclusion, as we celebrate Jesus’ birth and reflect on the impact He continues to have in transforming the world, His name should resonate across the Christian world with a connotation that though not new, will renew all our hopes and aspirations. For unlike many of our earthly names, the name “Jesus” speaks of hope in the midst of despair. It is not just a name!
• Matthew D. Farley is a secondary school principal, chairman of the National Forum on Education, and a social commentator. Email laceyprinci@yahoo.com.?
