The importance of people’s cultures is indisputable and proven by many empirical studies. Culture determines the formation of societies. This includes their belief systems, norms, ideals, values, and morals. This makes it easy to preserve the good cultural gems of a people from one generation to the next. As part of a people’s culture, the naming trend is part of the beautiful culture of an ethnic community.
The names bear the historical episode of many societies. In Ghana, names are directly related to historical events in the lives of people or sometimes specific families. To be clear, many children born in Ghana on Wednesday 6 March 1957 when the country gained its independence from British rule were called “Kwaku Ghana” (Kwaku – the name of a child born on Wednesday) or “Akwa Ghana” (Aqua – the name of a girl born on Wednesday) to remember this special moment in the history of the Ghanaian people.
Usually, people are named after the event as a form of remembrance. The child is called “Nkyiridwo Kojo” (a male was born on the Monday when the Nkyiridwo festival was celebrated). This name associates the person with their place of origin, hence, Essumeja in the Ashanti region of Ghana which is the host community for the festival ‘Nkyiridwo’ (Forbidden Monday). Some people are named after specific community or national events. For example, many families who suffered the sting of the famine in Ghana in 1983 named their family members who were born in the year after this memorable episode in their lives. An example of such a name is “Abervi koum” (I have come home in a time of famine). Interestingly, those who were born when food became plentiful were also called “Kufi Kumkum” (“Kufi – a child born on Friday,” Kumkum – the one killed by famine or hunger).
Also, adversity or good moments which perfectly depict the situation the family was going through on the eve of the individual’s birth are given as nouns. For example, a child is called “Antobere” (he did not feel pain) when the child comes to enjoy good times with the family and does not have sad and sad moments. A child may be called Abebrese (indescribable or severe pain) because the parents have had a very difficult time financially. It may also be a result of the birth pains that the baby brought to his mother during his pregnancy until his eventual birth.
Moreover, to remember the special trade or communal duty assigned to particular families in the community, their duty is often associated with their given names. For example, members of the family into which spiritualists or traditional priests and priestesses who perform traditional spiritual services in Ghana are born are called akum (traditional priestly duty).
Furthermore, many people are named after their family ancestors just to preserve their lineage and memories. Many Ghanaian parents sometimes name their children after good characters whose bright examples are worthy of imitation. The strong belief is that names reflect the attitudes of their bearers. Although this is not always true, it helps the bearer of the name to walk down the path worthy of the original owner of the name. Indeed, names are repositories of the historical and cultural heritage of the people and have a great influence on their bearers.
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