Africanization

Africanization of names

Africanization has referred to the modification of place names and personal names to reflect an "African" identity. In some cases, changes are not a change of transliteration rather than of the European name.

It is worth noting that in many cases during the colonial period, African place names were Anglicized or Francized.

Examples

Personal names

• Joseph-Désiré Mobutu changed to Mobutu Sese Seko
• François Tombalbaye changed to N'Garta Tombalbaye
• Étienne Eyadéma changed to Gnassingbé Eyadéma
• Francisco Macías Nguema changed to Masie Nguema Biyogo Ñegue Ndong

Place names

• Fernando Po island changed to Bioko Island
• Léopoldville changed to Kinshasa
• Salisbury changed to Harare
• Lourenço Marques changed to Maputo
• Nova Lisboa changed to Huambo
• Bechuanaland changed to Botswana
• Gold Coast changed to Ghana
• Rhodesia changed to Zambia and Zimbabwe
• Nyasaland changed to Malawi
• Fort Lamy changed to N'Djaména
• Tananarive changed to Antananarivo
• Bathurst changed to Banjul
• Many names of European origin in South Africa have undergone Africanization since 1994, see South African Geographical Names Council.

Other name changes take place when an African person converts to another religion. Examples:

• Albert-Bernard Bongo changed to Omar Bongo
• David Jawara changed to Dawda Jawara
• Jean-Bédel Bokassa changed to Salah Eddine Ahmed Bokassa

Africanization of civil services

In some countries immediately following their independence, "Africanization" was the name given to efforts to increase the number of Africans in civil service (replacing Europeans).

References