Oral East Africa>How our African identities are coded in names At the hut of the story

Written by Florence Riako Anam

William Shakespeare wrote in his book Romeo and Juliet, “What’s in a name, for that which we call a Rose by any other name would smell as sweet” Suggesting that names themselves do not hold worth nor meaning in a person’s life as they are merely labels to distinguish one thing or person from another.

I disagree, as I believe that names may very well indeed define people even in their subconscious level, or how others perceive them or even how they perceive themselves simply because some names have too much history or meaning weaved around them as is my case.

I turn a year older this week and have been reflecting a lot about my life and its meaning and of course I start off with what my parents say about how I got to have my name.

Identity

My name is Florence Adah Adhiambo Anam. I have four names like a typical Luo person.

According to my mother, I was born in the evening, 4.39pm to be precise. Because I was born in the evening, I was named Adhiambo. This must also explain why I am an evening person and struggle in the morning.

I was my mother’s first, you know what they say about first experiences. When she first saw me, I was to her the perfect definition of beauty. I looked like a flower she says, she was not sure which flower and so she named me Florence. Lately, she just calls me “my flower”

The primary purpose of a flower is reproduction. I must admit that if this description is limited to birthing children then I have performed dismally.

However, In the process of reproduction, flowers bloom. Covered in dirt, facing the light, they bloom into beautiful colors that bring happiness and hope. My life and work is about people. I am a connector of people, friends or family and there is usually lots of laughter around me.

Lineage

My father’s story feels like a script out of a Sci-Fi movie and is told complete with sound effects.

My father had a dream one day where his grandmother; my great grandmother Adah Ochumbo nya manyala told him my mother was carrying his gift. Three dreams in and a doctor’s appointment later, it was confirmed I was on the way.

Three days after I was born, I couldn’t stop crying no matter what anyone did to soothe me or get me to sleep. At one point my father probably tired, handed me over to my uncle and went to take a nap. You need to be attentive for this part. While my dad was napping, his grandmother Adah comes to him in a dream again! My dad tells this story better so I will not tell it all. He immediately woke up, came over and said to me “Adah, you came back”? I then smiled and stopped crying and from then on my name was Adah.

Adah, who I am named after, was a princess and one of the last daughters of Ruoth/ King Nyamwandha of Manyala so by extension I was informed from the moment I was old enough that I am a princess. Lately, my aunties tell me how my actions and decisions remind them of their grandmother. My resilience and wisdom, how I speak my mind, among other things.

Historical ties

I am my father’s daughter and so i am Anam. Growing up, my father would tell my sisters and I that if we got married, we were allowed to let go of all our other names except our Surname- Anam.

His suggestion was that we could be called Anam- our husbands sir names. I was in primary school and the idea of marriage was foreign to me however, the message about the importance of my surname was clear.

The Anam name is historical with many stories written about the descendants of Chief Anam of Kadimu village who served both in the pre-colonial and colonial. My great great grandfather I believe was a pionner translator and was appointed as court interpreter in 1907 to translate Luo Language into English. Again, my father tells this story better.

It is not lost to me that like many girls do, along the journey of my life, I forgot who I was, what I represented. Got distracted by life; by people’s definitions of who I am or who I could or should be.

As I turn a year older today, privileged by the opportunity to get back into myself and be able to live in my truth. I am grateful. Grateful for all the joy and love that lives within me and surrounds me.

What’s in a name you ask? I am everything in my name.