Pregnancy & baby naming

Soon after marriage in Africa, in-laws, the clan and the entire village awaits for a baby to be born. In fact if there is no sign of pregnancy few months in marriage, both families begin to worry. it is believed that a child seals the marriage and bonds the two families by blood for eternity.

A soon as a woman finds out that she is pregnant, she tells her mother and aunts. they then tell other extended family members and news travel fast to the rest of the village. News about pregnancy isn't taken lightly. Through out the pregnancy, an expecting mother does minimal or no work at all. She sometimes moves to her mother or her mother in law so that she can be taken good care of. Fetching water from the river is prohibited for her because the baby may be born 'with nothing but water in the head!!' Traditional healers work day and night giving her her tones of herbs to ensure the safety of the baby.

Delivery of a baby is a celebration and measures to determine how long or how powerful the baby will grow up to be are taken. In Zaire, Gambia, Senegal and Uganda, a chick is taken from its mother and kept separately with no food or water for several days.(poor thing!!). If it survives then chances are the child will grow and thrive.

In most parts of Africa, naming is done during the first eight days after birth, depending whether the child is a boy, a girl or a set of twins. It is done in the evening, when the chickens are coming back home. A name is given only after the traditional experts have taken time (even days) to study the baby and determine who of the hundreds of departed relatives the child resembles most. After this is done, villagers gather and the baby is given to the namer (usually the oldest woman or man. She then whispers the appropriate words and lifts the baby high announcing all its names. The first name is that of the departed one that the baby resembles most, then the rest of the names are given by both families. some are named after the season they were born in. This is why it is not a surprise to find an African with seven names!!

In other parts of Africa for instance Zambia, they make the baby start crying. As it cries, they shout different names of the departed relatives. When the baby stops crying at the mention of a certain name, it means that relative has come back in form of that baby, so the baby keeps the name.

There are two things that i particularly adore about these old African ways. One is the unity and support they give to an expecting mother. Every one who got news knew that he/she had a part to play. Young boys and girls helped her fetching water and firewood, women helped her prepare for delivery, traditional doctors provided medicine and preyed for her. They all shared the blessing. Two is the naming. Apart from giving departed relative's names, Africans gave meaningful names. They did not combine two names to form one, they just picked really meaningful names that takes the child's character.

Here are some meaningful African names

Kirabo meaning gift(Luganda-Uganda), Amara meaning Grace(Igbo-Nigeria), Adofo meaning fighter(Egyptian), Furaha meaning happiness(swhahili-Tanzania), Mlungisi meaning brings order(zulu-South Africa), Nyambura meaning rain(Kikuyu-Kenya) and many more.

Let us appreciate by commenting our African names, origin and meaning.You might get a name for your new born!! i'l go first..

A chick that will grow into a cock can be spotted the very day it hatches.

-An African proverb