I am quite proud of my name, and this doesn’t date of yesterday. My name has always given me confidence in ways that are difficult to express. Or, at the very least, since I found the meaning it holds. Iriza is a Kinyarwanda name for a girl who is a firstborn. One named like this is awaited to be responsible and basically lead the way for their younger siblings, or so I was told. Theres a saying in Kinyarwanda, Izina niryo muntu, which means a person is what their name implies. This is a really high bar, which I make every effort to live up to. It is either I was born fit for it or Ill just be grateful its not some sort of ridiculous standard! But, dont get me wrong; the scope changes all the time, and it is not always easy. “Jade” is a gemstone usually used to make jewelry and ornaments. Well, I guess I’m special then! Or at least my parents seem to believe so. As for “Natacha”, it is a Russian name that means birthday or used to mean a set of Christmas decorations. I was named Natacha after my father’s friend who was so dear to him. I jolt of energy every time I have to say my name! Unfortunately, not everybody is as happy about their names as I am. A friend once confessed to me that being named after her absent father was the most difficult thing she has to deal with every day. In her family’s traditions, your father’s name serves as a lifetime identification and pride, whilst according to her, there’s nothing like pride in her experience with her father. “In fact, it is an absurd patriarchy tradition,” she said, adding, “It would make much sense being named after my mother instead. I owe her everything.” Other people also argue that one’s name contributes to personality traits one gets to have later in life, that it affects self-confidence and esteem. Some go as far as saying that people’s names play a part in determining the success and downfalls in a lifetime. Whether it is true or not the first piece of information that strangers get to know about you is your ‘Name’. Some people believe that this leads to the first impression they form against you. One’s name says a lot about them than they may allow themselves to believe. A name says about ethnicity, religion, social sphere, and socioeconomic background or family background. This is even truer in the ancient Rwandan naming philosophy. Back then, children were often named after their grandparents on their paternal side, or after a historical figure that is meaningful to the family. Some were named in accordance with the situation they find at home. For example, the relationship between the parents, the neighbors, or the country’s political status, prosperous or hunger times, war, earthquakes, etc. Kinyarwanda, as a language with grammatical rules like any other, would also suggest some aspects to the names in accordance with gender. ‘Kazi’, ‘Muka’, ‘Nyira’ are examples of words added to some names attributed to the female gender. For example, ‘Nsengiyumva’ for male which loosely translates to ‘I pray to one that listens’ changes to ‘Nyiransengiyumva’ for female. Child naming in Rwanda is a tradition that stems back to the ancestral period up to date. The child is usually named by the father, but it has been seen that other contributors are also welcome, like friends and family. It is traditionally called ‘Kwita Izina’ which is translated as ‘Child naming’. It is obvious that the act of naming children has evolved through the years just like every aspect of humanity. Currently, it is rather rare to find a parent naming an embarrassing name to their child, like Mbarimombazi (I’m with you but I know you are against me), Nyiramiruho (someone who grew up in a tough environment). Instead, you will find much better meaning names like Keza (beauty), Ntwari (hero), and others. In addition, Rwandan law also allows anybody who does not feel comfortable with their name to change it with the Ministry of Justice. Since it may take an eternity before we conclude the debate on “What’s in a name?” we should rather ask ourselves, “What signals does a name send—and what does it imply?” before passing to the next person. The most challenging phenomenon of life is probably having to answer the question, “Who am I”. May we at least, with the future generations, be happy with the simplest response to the question…Our names.
