Traditional names are your identity; give them to your children – Ghanaian Language Wikimedians

Wikimedia volunteers from Ghana’s various Wikimedian communities have urged Ghanaians to give traditional names derived from their languages extra consideration while shaping their identities.

Traditional names are increasingly diminishing in some communities, according to the Kusaal, Dagbani, Gurune, Dagare, Moore, Fante, Twi, and Ewe Wikimedia editors who attended the Ghanaian Wikimedia languages mini conference in Tamale.

Mr. Michael Awimbilla, a member of the Kusaal Wikimedia Community, initially raised attention to the editors’ need to reconsider their names and make modifications to ensure that their children would not suffer the same injustice of not being given traditional names.

“It’s unfortunate that some people’s names can’t be easily identified as to where they’re coming from. All three or four names are foreign, with no traces of where they came from,” Mr. Awimbilla said.

He believes the time has come for Ghanaians of all backgrounds to make it mandatory to name their children in their mother tongue.

The event participants agreed that names and identities characterize a group of individuals and are a modern reflection of how people feel about themselves in the current world.

But one thing that stood out was ensuring that the names given to children had a positive connotation that will reflect in their life.

Abigail Afi Gbadago of the Ghanaian Pidgin Wikimedia Community cited herself as an example, having both Akan and Ewe names on both sides of her parents, which signify her identity and culture.

“It’s high time we use our local names rather than white people’s names so that we don’t lose our culture,” she said.

Mothers are close to their children, and in Abigail’s case, her mother spoke Ghanaian languages to her, which helped her comprehend the basics of different dialects rather than knowing nothing at all.

Traditional African names frequently have interesting backstories. Several variables influence the names parents choose for their children, ranging from the day or time of birth to the events surrounding the birth. Regardless of ethnic group, these local names provide a wealth of information about the bearer.

Fuseini Musah, co-leader of the Kusaal Wikimedia Community, underlined that Arabic names are not Islamic or Muslim, and that Muslims should evaluate how they name their children to reflect where they came from.

According to Mr. Musah, a name just needs to have a meaningful meaning to be a practicing Muslim; hence a Kusaa or Dagomba does not need an Arabic name.

Around 60 Wikimedians from nine Ghanaian language Wikimedian communities including Kusaal, Ewe, Dagare, Twi, Dagbani, Ghanaian Pidgin, Gurune, Fante, and Moore Wikimedia communities attended the mini conference to help to bridge the digital divide that keeps people from accessing the internet due to language barriers.

The two-day conference which ended on Sunday, May 14, 2023 gave participants the opportunity to brainstorm on how to better distinguish language platforms and learn from others what has worked and what has not worked.

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