Hi Guys,
Thanks so much for the wonderful comments on my first podcast. Here is the 2nd one. I notice that most of the names are female names. Do you know any funny male names? I can't wait to read your comments. Enjoy and share it with your friends and family!
With love,
Esi
ps: Did anyone else notice that wo se ekyir now has 100 followers? whoooo! That's awesome. More than numbers, i hope this means you like hanging out here as much as I do. Exciting!
It was a cool one there Esi. We share same concerns.You omitted names like Love,Bright,Small,Mommy,Prosper...i just can't remember them all now,i will add more to your list later.
ReplyDeleteyou left out Perpetual
ReplyDeleteThis was so much fun.I remember my dad would get so irritated when anyone named their kid junior. He would go :" Eh ,eh how can you name your son junior eh, and when he's 80 years old people will still call him junior".
ReplyDeleteBy the way I had an uncle called Jupiter (yes ooh I know).
Looking forward to many more podcasts.
Good works here.
ReplyDeleteBut Esi is it a surprise that the funniest names are all foreign-? or is it??. Its like in our attempt to imitate we end up ridiculing ourselves.
Oh, I have an uncle called...wait for it.... Zebra! Zebra like the stripey-horse! Can you believe it? Also a great-aunt called "My dear"... Ebei!
ReplyDeleteEsi, you are making fun of the Ghanaianization of English:)
ReplyDeleteSorry but why do Ghanaians insist on using titles as names. "Duke", "Chief", "Princess","Prince" etc. etc. Lol!
ReplyDeletei love the 'mor-dar' rendition!
ReplyDeletehehehehehehehehehehe!
is that your voice really? sexy!
This is the first time I must say I am disappointed with your blog. I agree some of the names are funny and akward but most of them arent.
ReplyDeleteHow is Yaa-yaa funny? or Comfort
And for some of the other names the THEME of FUNNY is missing. I feel really strongly about the Candy/Sweety bit in particular because of the way you imply that no one can take her serious because of her name.(I know a Candy and I dont think I will let her see this blog)
Dear Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteI anticipated that some people might not like this particular podcast because it is personal.But of what use is abstract talk to anyone? And i considered how i would feel if someone said my name woarabae sounds like a stripper's name? But i decided to go ahead with it because it wasn't a personal attack on anyone in particular. If you look beyond ur friend whose name is candy, u'll notice that this podcast actually looks at Ghanaians as a people and how we appropriate names. People need to be able to not take themselves so seriously. It's okay for people to be offended and it's even more important for them to sift through their offense to realize what offends them. objectively.
And you're right. This list is subjective. You may not find funny what i find funny. Maybe you think "the lord is my shepherd" is funnier than yaa yaa, and that's great because that's what blog comments are for. I was hoping people like you would come and say...no no no, esi. that's a bogus list. here's my personal list of the funniest names. and we all laugh and go home.
About the "theme of funny", if u listened closely, before i began with the names i said i'd try to tell you what's funny about some of them. A name like comfort is not funny in itself just like the name gifty and vincentia are not funny but the way ghanaians say comfort, or geeefty, or err vin is funny.
If i were you, i would let my friend called candy see this blog. You know why? Because this just opened up a very important topic. Should bloggers stay away from topics that have the potential to be offensive to some? In a conversation like that, your friend Candy's input would be highly valuable. I'm not always right (even though i may sound like i am. i'm human. i don't know it all, and i'm open to learning). I hope you don't just get offended and move on with your life. it is through these conversations that we learn and for me, that's why blogging matters.
Welcome to the blog. if u look through the archives, u'll realise hopefully that i'm not always so badass:)
So I was laughing through the first few, Junior, Moda,Baby and then all of a sudden I stopped smiling. I admit that I have questioned people's names sometimes but I think you crossed the line with regards to Candy(my friend is a Candy). Your comments about that name are more serious than funny. Maybe it is just me but ...
ReplyDeleteHey Esi, You forgot Memunatu!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHere's a list of the top 10 stripper names:
ReplyDelete1. Destiny
2. Candy
3. Angel
4. Cherry
5. Raven
6. Anastasia
7. Roxy
8. Houston
9. Porsche
10. Crystal
source: http://bacon.frymybacon.com/2006/08/23/top-10-stripper-names/
Point is, i'm not the only one thinking it. Candy does sound like a stripper's name.In fact, many strippers call themselves Candy which is why i think it's a bad name to give your kid because the moment a person like me, or a teenage boy hears candy, he's likely to think stripper and he's likely to start seeing the person through a sexual lens. And that's not how you want people to first relate to your kid. How is saying this offensive? Would you name your child candy? why and why not? I would not. Because of reasons previously stated.
I have a friend called candy. Am i a bad friend for pointing out that the name is err...a little someway? Nope, i don't think so. I don't know how saying that has anything to do with friendship. Should i be more sensitive? I don't know. I didn't think pointing out the obvious could be offensive. My middle name is woarabae. I'll be the first to acknowlege that it sounds like my parents didn't plan for me or want me. i think that's funny but it's not a good name to put on that list because i'm probably the only one in Ghana with my name. I laugh at others, i laugh at myself...it's not that deep, people...
Dear Esi,
ReplyDelete(working backwards)
thanks for the welcome - I have actually read through most postings and I like it so much I keep refering people to it.
Point taken on Comfort and Gifty and Vincentia. I think it actually helps me to identify my "beef" with
If you say Comfort is funny because Ghanaian have come up with a unique way to shorten it...fine I agree.
However if you say another name is funny because it sounds like the name of a stripper and therefore no one can take that person serious, you are laughing at someones predicament.
Its like saying its funny that someone is woman(for example) and so people dont take her serious.
We can laugh we we hear "Uncle Junior", "Sista Moda", "Candy do you want some Candy?" or say "Sonny, its sunny-come inside", "Bright, you are soo bright", "I love you Love"
I just dont think the reasons you gave for finding Candy/Sweety funny is not "funny" matter.
-Anonymous(Mike)
I sense a little bit of overreaction from some quarters. Let's not forget the spirit in which this was made. This was a podcast making fun of Ghanaians, by a Ghanaian! It's called self ridiculing, (see Dave Chapelle on his 'black jokes') and it shouldn't make us love each other any less!
ReplyDeleteThere's bound to be someone who knows someone whose name appears on the list. It is human nature to squirm in discomfort when something hits close to home, but remember for every name you've found funny (be it on this list or not), someone not very far removed from you is potentially deeply offended!
This podcast I am certain wasn't intended to put anyone down. So let's enjoy it for what it is - a celebration of what makes GH land the very special place that it is :)!
- Sunskreen
I was a little taken aback with this podcast (the part about no one taking a person named Candy seriously) but now I’m just mortified by you trying so hard to justify this by finding some random website with zero credibility.
ReplyDeleteSo tell me, will people take men called Jesus (the Spanish name) more seriously because… well its pretty obvious.
And how many Ghanaians deal with strippers on a daily basis?
This is the first time I’m seeing this so called stripper list and I think it’s bogus. Angel?! Really? Houston? Come on.
*Condoleezza Rice.*
Chei! Matter don come "Wo Se Ekyir".
ReplyDeleteThis is all the fault of parents! All these fancy-fancy names. Eh, when you can easily go with Nii and Naa and eat your kenkey in peace.
See oo, a list like this will always be highly subjective and almost always controversial. Some names like Grace, Gradis (or Gladys), Mavis and Gifty crack me up. They always have and probably always will. I don't know why/when it started but I know that whenever I hear those names I crack up on the inside. Funny for me is sometimes the way the name sounds. It can also be the connotations of the name. A lot of the names I think are funny are names that instantly conjure up images of old women sitting on plastic chairs outside their homes watching school kids come home from school. I also crack up at names that just fall into the category of "Your parents don't like you, huh?" The ridiculous names celebs in the United States give to their kids are a never-ending source of unintentional comedy. I laugh at names that I consider pretentious. If someday, I meet a Ghanaian called Donald Rumsfeld Appiah, I promise you I will laugh. You might not, but I will. We can't all agree on what is funny and what's not.
The important thing for me is to separate the name from the person. It's the name that's funny. The person? I have no beef.
If I met a guy legally called Smooth Don Juan Appiah, I'd laugh. I'd think "Why is he walking around with a pimp name?" That's funny ish. He might be a great guy but I'd still consider his name funny. Candy happens to fall into that same category for me. I am sure people with that name are awesome and talented. I don't think Esi intended to strip anything from the personalities of the Candys of this world. The podcast (as well as this blog) is a subjective thing. A personal opinion. A tool to get people to talk. It has serious undertones (Why are the bulk of names we find funny Western?) but ultimately it's just for a laugh.
It is what it is. Let's not dance around the pole. Just laugh, add to the list and wait for the next blog posting. I think having the ability to self-ridicule is essential as Ghana moves forward.
I am starting to chaa.
He he, Edward, i also think memunatu is funny as hell ...mostly because it sounds like "meemu na - i've frowned (in fanti) but i'm sure we're in the minority.
ReplyDeleteSunskeen, I think you sidestepped the issue and so did Awansona.
ReplyDeleteThe question is "if you thought someone wouldn't be taken serious because of their name, would you laugh about it?"
If you think "NO" then you are with me. If you think "YES" too - fair enough, you may have your reasons but you cannot dispute that it has serious undertones which others may not be bale to laugh about.
-Anonymous(Mike)
Mike, your argument reminds me of the conversations that came out of Obama's comment about the special olympics. If you just take his comment at face value, it's funny. But if you think more about it, it's insensitive. There's a thin line between funny and insensitive, i tell ya. Those home movies that show kids bumping into things are funny. In real life, kids pumbing into things and falling is unsafe and not funny. I guess we need to be careful whenever we walk that line.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame that the comments about the podcasts have been reduced to this though. It was really meant to poke fun at familiar ghana things. Still it's been a good discussion. Watch this space tomorrow. I'm cooking up something new.
People just have to learn not take themselves too seriously. I would never name my kids any of the 10 names mentioned on the podcast, because, guess...they sound just ridiculous. The best names I find are those that connote some history, and geography of the person. Say "Kwame" and everybody can point to an African origin. If you want English names, at least choose some that will not embarass the kid and those who have to call her later on in life mpo eh? Oh by the way my littlest sister is called "Naa Kai" but we have been calling her "Baby Kai" since birth and now its stuck! lol. But "Baby" alone is ..huhhh...I don't know. As for "Mohda" it deserves number one spot if you ask me.hahahahahah..!
ReplyDeleteHere's my list of dont-go-there-Ghanaian-names: No vex ooo, I beg.
ReplyDelete1. Courage. For what?
2. Mercy ahhhhhh! (How does this sound to American ears?)
3. Joe. they pronounce it "Jo'oo" like saying "no....." Joseph is fine.
4. Vida. Cheeew...too common.
5. Vero. Veronica I must say is a beautiful name. But Ghanaians will say "Veh'ro" or "Velo" for some who cannot make the "r"
6.Maggie. Short for Margaret. Sounds like maggie cube. I find it hard bringing myself to say "Maggie" And you know how Ghanaians say it.
Let me stop here. I realize these are very common Ghanaian names and more than likely, we have family members and friends who go by them. I know several people who go by the names I have mentioned and this is in no way intended to disrespect. I must say that "Margaret" and "Veronica" are very old and beautiful English names. It is how we shorten them in Ghana and the frequency with which people are named by them that put them on this list.
Dear Esi,
ReplyDeleteI am glad you see exactly my "beef" is. I was getting frustrated with people's comment which had nothing to do with what I was saying.
Marian for example provides her reasons to avoid the names and gives her own no-no list which ultimately has nothing to do with a name being funny. Maybe we need a separate discussion - "What I wouldn't name my kids"...no?
Sometimes all one needs to say is "o, I see what u are saying but I still think it is funny" as against "people need to learn not to take themselves serious - someone is bound to get upset - you are overreacting - I also have friend called xxx so its fine"
At this point, I have strayed into the territory of political correctness but hey...isnt that why we blog-scuss.
Looking forward to the next discussion.
-Anonymous(Mike)
Esi your light-hearted look at Ghanaian eccentricities is really cool !!!
ReplyDeleteI think I looove your cheerful voice and bubbly nature.
You give us the opportunity to laugh at ourselves.Lol.
@Esi, about stripers and their names... lol...
ReplyDeletebut tell, would you drop your name simply bcos some stripper somewhere is using it with a candy-tease to please the erotic senses out of me???????????
tell...
Ahaaaaaaaaaaaa, I think U forgot Atwεε and Akroboto!!!!
ReplyDeleteDo you have a problem with pronunciation or meaning of names? For your information Agatha means virtuous/good. You have insulted mothers and people called Agatha. You should show more respect and intelligence.
ReplyDeleteei people, theres Nimo too oo!!!!
ReplyDeleteI am surprised some people are taking some of these comments so personal...Come on!!!i know we cant all see eye to eye on everything but please esi did this with no malicious intent.i am a mother and called agath and m in no way insulted in fact ive always made fun of my name.Esi great blog dear,keep it up!!!!and please take all such comments in good faith,thats one more unique thing about Ghanaians...they're just reacting to ur post like they would to football or politics.
ReplyDeleteInteresting podcast! except for Comfort, Agatha and Candy, I think most of the names are nicknames and will not be found on their birth certificates. I know a "mother" who was named after her grandmom and a Sister Baby who I still can't imagine how she got that name.
ReplyDeleteI have one name for you... Cletus.. funny because of how Ghanaians pronounce it. proper pronunciation KLEE-tus, KLAY-tus
hahaha...u fool waa!! i liked "O Gre" the best...lol. keep 'em coming
ReplyDeletefight pai! this was a disaster as soon as it started.
ReplyDeleteAuntie Baby, Sister Sister se fa Mother aduane ne ma no!
Esi or whatever your name is, I am rather disappointed in your lack of discernment. You seem very ignorant, inconsiderate and most of all unbelievable. I think you must really consider re-evaluating your sense of humor becasue you are stepping on others' toes. We want to be happy to read your blog and not see others upset over your ignorance. I'm sure you're educated enough; I know common sense is not common but use your brain! It looks like you resent certain people; free yourself from resentment!
ReplyDelete--Lynn
Ok.........
ReplyDeleteI feel I MUST comment, I agree with most of your list Esi, well done.
Why so personal people? Jeeeesh...Look, my Mother is called Comfort (a.k.a. Confort, C-connie, Connie and any other abomination you can think of). I find it funny...so does she! I dunno maybe cuz I'm British-Ghanaian OVER HERE it definately sounds funny as do name like Gifty (ahhhhhhhhhhhh!). Why is this offensive?
AND...How Ghanaian's say Agatha (Ah-ga-tHa) is wrong! It is NOT AH-GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR-TA. Hence, EXTREMELY amusing, in fact for years I was totally unaware that it was suppposed to be the same name so WRONG is it's pronounciation by Ghanaians. HIL-A-RIOUS!
I throw my own funny name in the mix, my sister has a mate called Consider...now me and my 'Western' self see's hours of hilarity in that!
Also names do not stay without country bounds anymore and many people are not solely influenced by one country. Comfort or Gifty may be OK in Ghana but outside it just sounds funny, as in a bit eccentric...WIERD, that kind of thing.
As for the list of stripper names and the topic of the name Candy. For those who are not perhaps familiar with 'Western' (I hate using that term, but it fits here) cultures Candy is a bonafide STRIPPER NAME. Speaking to non-Ghanaians or those not raised around Ghanaians that is the genuine reaction you get. I once told a obroni friend that my friend was called Candy, ***PAUSE*** she goes 'Candy? CANDY?! That's her real name? Wow! But that's a stripper name'.
Don't be offended but outside of strictly Ghanaian circles that is how it is considered. I agree with Esi people need to perhaps think harder, or rather more carefully when naming their children.
@ anon A.K.A. Condaleeza Rice...I know 2 Angel's, 4 Crystal's, a Candy, a Cherry, and a Porsche...I've never seen this list but they are all in my view stripper names, soz. Just the way I see the world and 2 of the Crystals, Porsche and one Angel all agree with me. xXx
WOW! Just spent the last ten minutes laughing through your pod cast only to read the folowing comments. People need to relax and not take things so personal. My english name is Margaret, and thruth be told i'm not too crazy about it. The way Ghanaians pronounce it alone,and the short form is even worse. Lets face it, its funny. But you wont find me losing sleep over it.
ReplyDeletePeople need to relax.
People need to learn
rontflmao
ReplyDeletewhen it comes to funny names believe me the Ewes do it best, I'd know my mom is one.
They have a wonderful ability to shorten any name, just bring it on.
Hilda - helay
Adelaide - Adey
Ambrose - Ambro
Florence - Florey ( with a heavy Ewe accent)
the list is endless
the irony of talking about funny names from a guy named obese.
ReplyDeleteI think this bog is great, her is South Africa we got funny names like Delicious and Days given to girls. I think people dont think their children will ever grow to be udults when they give them these ridiculous names
ReplyDelete@Anonymous....damn, delicious?! Wasn't that the name of the girl flava flav picked in the second season of his show? I guess i just shamelessly admitted that I watch (used to watch) flava flav. lol.
ReplyDelete@Faf, you just couldn't resist that one, huh?
@Tetteh-Obese, did you have a hard time in school with a name like Obese? Tell us about it. lol@florey!
@Lucci, you know the short form of Margaret in these parts is Maggi, right? Maggi cubes? Maggi Arome? haha.
@Child of the heavens...seriously Consider? Cracking up over and over again. hehe. My name is Consider. Consider this, consider that, consider me. lol
I found this podcast to be a bit disappointing & not at all funny. Yes we all find some names a bit odd and sometimes funny; and totally understand that this was light-hearted, but I think you could have talked about something else.
ReplyDeleteOk, I do find a some names funny, mostly because of things I associate with the names - for instance, Agatha, Comfort, Esther, Tabitha, Claudia, etc bring to mind witches and old ladies, and its a little amusing to meet a hot, young lady with a name like that. There are also names that are really easy to poke fun at, and make u wonder what their parents were thinking, I know a chap called Hilarious...
ReplyDeleteThose aside, I'm rather disappointed and unamused that u'd poke fun at people's pet names, and unfortunately, apart from Candy, all the names u referred to on the list are pet names. It's laughable when your classmate is officially called Redeemer or even Delicious, but it sure ain't funny to laugh at someone calling their kid 'Baby' or 'Sweetie' at home, cos its their kid and they were (or might still be) babies or sweet in their parents' eyes. Every name has some sort of meaning, and its excusable if u meet a Nigerian called 'Gbemi' and laugh cos it means something different here. Heck, we can even laugh about the way people pronounce names and they sound like something else, like the way Ghanaians say Simon to kinda rhyme with Semen. Even Mr. Obese (pronounced O-bay-say) could be a bit of a laughingstock briefly. But how do we get off digging at people's pet names, which ordinarily are known to just really close family?
For crying out loud, we think its cool when people have nicknames like Hacksaw, Terror, Flash and all that, and we call them these names. We might ask, why did u pick a name like 'Horror' or 'Undertaker,' but it still sounds kinda cool, and not a laughing point. How then can it be funny when someone nicknames a kid 'Morda' cos she reminds her of her own mother? People call their spouses/partners Honey, Sweetie, Darling, Sugar, etc. Is that also funny to hear? Like, "don't call your wife Baby anymore cos she just turned 40?"
Come on guys, this really wasn't a very good joke, and the explanations just helped to make it worse. Low...
I think this is an EXCELLENT list. People are overreacting because its TRUE - when criticism hits home, people start to overreact and instead of taking this advice and acting on it, they are taking out their frustration on you. Good on you for exposing this and please do more. I've spent hours telling people that calling their child (Baby/George bush/NewYork) is not just ghetto/uneducated/pointless but will also burden the child for life. What happened to giving your child just a decent ghanaian name?
ReplyDeleteCandy does sound like a stripper name and I do agree with you. It should not be a proper name although I know 2 girls called Candy.
What you should also address is why Ghanaians have multiple names ie a 'formal name' (usually English) and a name for home (ie Ama/Baby)
PS- worst real name i ever heard was 'Peace-
Love' I kid u not:)
PPS- nice voice.
Marian, I should be ashamed of my name because it will not sound good in an American's ears? Amazing!
ReplyDeleteteeeheeeheeehee. Esi Cleland. You are hiiilllaaaarrriiouuusss!!. I just got of work and you destressed me with this podast.Keep em coming. Is NASA S. Arthur? Did she come up with Juunnioorr? lol if she did I hope I did not trigger that..And I do have an uncle called baby.hehe. Lynn and Anonymous are you two serrious!! chalie I sense some depression in the air. Some people want to vent.wu boy egyaa wo anaa?lolol
ReplyDeletePower 5 names in the podcast
MODA!
C CONI!
Juuunioh
VIS-AY( in Cleland's intonation.lol)
AGAATHAA
Esi u gbaa.wu sii "there was this toffee called Agatha"
You should say " There was this CANDY called Agatha"
Anonymous anaa? wo si s3i? CANDY( yankyfy it and say ..KENDY) ei will ur friend bore?lolol .comot for there with ur too known or I will put my agatha into ur left nose.hahaha ( I know it's nostril though.lol)
@Anonymous, I'm always happy to talk about new things. Could you suggest some topics?
ReplyDelete@Leroy, let's just agree to disagree.Clearly we do not find the same things funny. The great thing is, we don't have to agree about everything. I'm sure there are many points on which we agree. Check out the 90 or so other posts on the blog.
Also, Candy was not exceptional in it being a real name rather than a nickname. I believe Agartha was also on the list, and it is not a nickname.
@WofaKojo,
I plan on doing another blog post on Ghanaian names soon, and will incorporate your suggestions so keep watching this space.
@KwekuBonsam,
are you the same Kweku Bonsam, the okomfo with a website? The one who claims to give pastors their powers.Wow, nice to meet you :)
Yes, tis the same Nana S. Arthur. And indeed, she suggested Junior. ha!
@KENDY. And you think i'm funny:)
Welcome to the blog. Have fun with it and feel free to suggest topics for me to blog on. Come laugh with us often.
lol@ okomfo. No I'm not an okomfo.Check cultural studies text book 2 or 3( JSS) you will see that Bonsam is one of the names that goes with it.But Bonsam is my dawg though.lol but I'll rathaer sum my nyame.
ReplyDeleteAnd the Junior sounded sooo like Serwah Arthur!!Ha.lol. This is my new spot.Your Obama piece was really great.
My suggestions for topics will be coming soon!! Keep doing what you do. :)
Check out your bro's website
ReplyDeletehttp://www.kwakubonsam.com/
lol I checked it out looonngg teee kwraa. I'm a fan.I read ur returnee piece.Really insightful. Kweku Bonsam will add u on facebook so look out.
ReplyDeleteI just came across this podcast and I loved it... I've some more names for you: I'd never name my child Bertha, cos she'd be called "berta" or Edith cos she'd be called " Eedif", "Eedit" "Edif" or "Edit'. Same for Judith - "Judit" or "Judif". Cecilia would become "Ceciria" or "Cece". Cynthia would become "Cyntia"... the list is endless!
ReplyDeleteWorse still, some "elite" Ghanaians are giving their children African-American ghetto names like LaToya, Shaniqua etc. So ghetto!!! Ironically, they think they're elite and enlightened, so they're giving their children these "abrofo" names. Some biblical names are just as terrible. In this day and age, why would you name your son Shadrach, Abednego or Jededaiah??? Don't we have beautiful Ghanaian names we could give to our children? It's about time we went back to our own names and our identity.
Nana Akua
I am work at the mo- but this too funny!!!!This is good. It is good to laugh.
ReplyDeleteEven po- our grandparents pronouce our names wrong and we cannot help but laugh
Sit back and Relax!!!! Sorry Esi- Even your Last name " Cleland" is funny!!! Imagine a true ashanti man from Kumasi pronoucing you name Esi Crerand!!!!!!
ASEM!!!
I Have a brother who was intitially named Fitzgerald ( I believe it is German,correct me if i am wrong) but you can imagine what happened when he started basic primary school in Ghana......everyone started calling him Fish....Fish...till one day his teacher got exasperated.....and renamed him Samuel....To this day he is called Samuel....but Fitzgerald used to be the name on his birth certificate ( I don't know if he changed it i.e. made a new one)......lol
ReplyDeleteI was named Abigail but people used to call me Abigari,Abigede and all sorts of stuff at an early age...I did not find it funny then at that age, but i really do now......
I think we should cease fire....yeah some of us may have been offended at Esi making fun of our friends' or relatives' names but i think we should all take it in good faith.....
I am especially disappointed by Lynn's opening statement for her post....."Esi or whatever you call yourself"...not really a friendly starting line....It has war written all over it...I think in the interest of the friendliness and camaraderie we want to create on the blog we should cease fire ,relax and enjoy .
I;m wit u on that,Nana. And how I have suffered with this my last name! I've been called everything from Clearland to Cleyland, to crerand.lol. Cracks me up but the truth is, like joke, we naa, we don't know how to pronounce it ooo. My family pronounces is as Klailand but I've also heard white people say Kleeland. All this wahala! Why couldn't I have some traditional name like Nkwantabisa? lol.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous. Fish fish haha. And Abigari paa?! Sorry. I'm glad you grew to get the joke.
Me, i'm not putting my kids through that. Will give them a nice Ghanaian name and be done with it.
HAHA
ReplyDeleteok, i laughed so much n then got 'pissed' along the way... a little. that's prolly why i don't own the blog cuz my big mouth wd have... anyway so allllllllllllll the people with beefs i bet u have one of these names. lets make it funnier n have u guys tell us what ur names are. only those who were offended by the blog. i bet u wdn't but i thought i'll try.
ReplyDeletei personally don't see anything wrong with this post. well done woarabae. btw, i think ur name is funnier than a lot of the names u mentioned but i bet u know it. i remember one senior in my hse was telling me abt a strange name she saw in the register during prep supervision. she kept saying 'warabi' n said she ddn't even bother pronouncing it n i was like 'oh it's worabae, she's my friend'. she wdn't stop laughing... n she is a fanti girl. hahaha
@Anonymous...warabee is my nickname o. You can also say Woarabs. Short for Woarabae. lol. Oh so the senior was trepidated (new word i just coined for afraid) to pronounce the name eh? In primary school, most of these Accra kiddies didn't know how to pronounce my name. They called me Wuraba and i hated hated hated the name. Then i went to secondary school, and suddenly all the teachers thought my name was cool. And i was telling everyone my name is Woarabae. Still haven't gotten over it. It is a funny name.
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother tells a story of how when i was a kid, her friend came to our house with her grandson and the child heard my name and was so surprised. He blurted out. Ei nti EYE ampa sE ono a, na obaa yE? (i.e. is it true that she came by herself). lol
In a different interpretation of the name...
If Woarabae means she came by herself...i suppose in the world of woarabaes, solo sex would be rampant? Okay this is so bad!!!!!!!! Okay that's not quite right. The sexual angle would only be applicable if the name was Woaramawohobae. lol!
But my point is, sake of it's my name, i'm sure i have more angles to see it than anyone else. So i'm always surprised when i meet people who act shocked that someone thinks their name funny for x reason. I'd have thought they'd already be aware. But hey, maybe not everyone is so self-absorbed:) hehe.
I just saw this. I've gone through every comment and I'm just teary-eyed from laughing so hard. A few thoughts:
ReplyDeleteIt's funny papa! My friend Klaus (from Nigeria, btw) says a joke is always founded on someone's misfortune. But Moda paaaaaaaa diɛ... even when I was in primary school I thought, "This is so wrong."
Perhaps people were merely offended by the way Obiara'ansomawo aka Woarabae insisted not to give your kids certain names. Ɔyɛ asɛm o!
My dad was named after his uncle, and so as a child, he was called Uncle or Ankr (the Mfantsi version) for a long time. Then his nieces and nephews come in to the picture and guess what? He's Uncle Ankr or Ankrankr! Fantastically hilarious! One of my maternal cousins once asked me, when it dawned on her how funny it sounded, whether my dad would be offended if she just called him Uncle.
Again, I grew up hearing the name Number Three at every family event where this particular distant cousin. When I had the sense to ask about it, I found out that she, as well as two others were all called Ewuresi, and so to tell them apart, they were re-christened No. 1, etc.
Now, many Ghanaians (Akan, Ga) like to add a title to their kids name: Ewura/Papa/Nana/Maame/Nii/Naa/Mami. This seems fine when they precede Ghanaian names to create things like Maame Efia which eventually becomes Mefia for short. However if you name her Eunice/Eugenia/Cecelia/Patience and then want to still do the "Maame" thing then you end up with the ff:
1. Maame + Eugenia = Maa Eu
2. Maame + Cecilia = Maa C
3. Maame + Patience = Maa P
You get the point. It's interesting; it's funny; it's Ghanaian!
And if there are many named Nii in the family then one is bound to be called Baby Nii! You know there's also Papa Nii, right? That's what we call my brother-in-law. Paa Nii for short. Nii is
I'm always thankful to George Alexander Sam Kow Enu and his wife for naming me after my grandpa but dropping the English name and just sticking with the Ghanaian ones. I can't imagine being called Henrietta. You know how it's pronounced GH-style, right? HEN-REEEE-TA!! Of course, my middle name - Mbirba (grandpa was Mbir) is also a difficult one for most people. I was called emmere bi re be ba (a time is coming) by many people poking fun back in the days. You grow up and see the joke.
I know I won't do Gifty, Regina, Comfort, Mavis (May for short) although I know good, smart people with these names.
There's a new trend besides the ghetto names: Misspelled Telenovela pet names, eg. Carlotica/Carlotita, Barbarella, etc.
I just love GH!
Thanks Esi, and thank God that my name wasn't menyioned. Wanna know? LC
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed this blog tremendously for 2 reasons, it was meant to be a fun subject about how we can laugh at silly things that affect us all. Ironically, there is a lot of truth in what everybody has said.
ReplyDeleteNow that we've all lived out our nuanses, can I suggest that a bitter lesson ought to be derived from it all.
1. We are a very shallow people.
2. We are not very innovative and original
3. We lack freedom to think on our own.
Can you believe that in certain Ghanaian cultures there permutations and combinations through which you can name your child is so limited - 7 days of the week, and worst of all within certain regions, mayb they share only 7 last names even if you consider that there are 20, can you imagine why our ancestors found a good reason for TRIBAL MARKS.
Another thing whats with the "K" thing;
Kpakpo
Korley
Kofi
Kwame
Kojo
Kwesi
Kordai
Akwalee
Akosua
Ama
Ajaleh
Araba
Abena
Nii
Naa
Nana
Now, when I think of most Ghanaian last names, I know for a fact that there are all derivatives of Greek, Latin, Portuguess and Spanish origin, but we have craftily twisted them enough to lay claim on it all.
Ask the Indians, coming up with good names ain't so easy - Sitting Bull, Eagle Feathers, White Lightening and so many other funny names.
The only advice I have for the New Generation of Ghanaians is this, be defiant, do not adhere to Ghanaian culture, neither fancy western culture, device a new and sophisticated Ghanaian culture.
Haven't we always made fun of the Chinese, that they name their offspring by dropping a pice of china and discern what sound it produced.
So after all is said and done, I wish somebody would show me a piece of written or scribbled documentation of how all the so called real Ghanaian names were derived by our ancestors. People, we've been had and there just might be no turning back. Those of us who happen to be lucky enough to have beautiful names, of course we have the right to laugh at names like
Kojo Mpiani
Kuffour
Kyeremanteng
Quashiga
Acheampong
Kwatelia
Obetsibi
Lomotey
Popolampo
These are the real funny names , not those nicknames and stage names Westerners have the luxury of using whenever they get bored, ours are real. Our ancestors just screwed us all good and abandoned ship.
So is this all about pronunciations or the absurdities embedded in certain names (Ghanaian and other)?
U SUCK!!!! BIG TIME
ReplyDelete