Shanksteps – What’s in a name?
I found out the other day that Koza was actually named by a Westerner. The area all around Koza is mountainous and rocky. As the story goes, a white man came to this area and pointed to a stone and asked what the Mafa people called it. They responded, “Kwa.” Then he pointed to a different stone and asked what that was called. The response was, “Kwa za’a.” meaning another stone. Thus the name Koza was born; simple yet descriptive.
The Muslims here have a few names that are used over and over, such as Aissatou, Fadimatou, or Djaratou for girls; and Amadou or Ibrahim for boys. I have asked what these names mean, but most just say they are names that they like, are Biblical, or have family members with those names.
If you are a female Christian, most likely your name is Marie. Most of the male Christians have a Mafa name, and a given Christian name like Esaie (Isaiah), Jacques (James), or Jean (John). Unlike other African countries, we don’t see many with names like Joy, Peace, and Patience.
Traditional names almost always have a story behind them. Usually a child is named for what the mother experienced during pregnancy or childbirth. Often the family will wait for a week or longer before giving a child a name – in case they don’t survive. One of our nurses tells the story of his name. Apparently when he was born, he was very small and his father didn’t really want to keep him. His grandmother rescued him from neglect, and he was given the name Kaotem, meaning “neglected”. Or perhaps
you would like the name Tchougui, which means “irritates the home”. When I first saw a number of children with the name Bonné, I thought, “That’s nice, they named him/her beautiful.” Then I found out one day that Bonné in Mafa means “suffering”; possibly named for the experience of childbirth. Or you could be named Guymatakon meaning “the one who causes suffering”. In fact, the Mafa tribe used to be called Matakon, which in their language means sickness or suffering. There are in fact many men
here named Matakon. The name Kaldoussa means “thrown out”. Dougdje is the name of one of our cleaners; his name means “garbage”. I think that ZaÏna is a pretty name, but I wouldn’t want to name my child “lost”. I definitely wouldn’t want to go through life with the name Viché, which means “enter into the ground”.
I guess all of these people are in good company though. A man in the Bible named Jabez, which means “Child of my pain”, found favor with God. Jabez called out to God in prayer, asking God to bless him, enlarge his territory, and keep him from pain. “And God granted his request.” (1Chron 4:9, 10).
May we never forget that despite the situation we grew up with, or the name we were given, that God can bless us, and do so abundantly.
In His Mighty Grasp, Audrey
Shanksteps 111- What’s in a name?