Ntsiki said it was “sad to see that Africans don’t know the significance of the power of naming”.
When one user asked if she was “home affairs”, suggesting she was policing parents, Ntsiki argued: “You’re robbing your child because of your need to fit in".
“Our generation is on the wrong side of history. We are the ones who gave the last bit of ourselves and Africa away. We have enslaved our children’s children and have left them nothing,”she later added.
The adoption of English names arrived with colonial rule and was imposed by missionaries across Africa. For many, they have become fashionable with the spread of Western culture, while others see it as functional and necessary in a modern, globalised world.
“It’s all in the meaning, the symbolism, the history. Some people look at such things. Finally, there is nothing prohibiting us from naming our children as we see fit,” argued user @Abicah_Soul.
Another Twitter user, Erlihleh, said it was down to preference: “If you love a name it doesn’t matter if it is Western.”
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POLL | Should we stop giving African children Western names?
Poet and musician Ntsiki Mazwai sparked fierce debate when she questioned why parents continue to give their African children “Western names”.
The star took to Twitter to pose the question and warned that “we are giving birth to a black child who can’t speak their own language, thinks weaves are normal and calls themselves Jordan/Amanda”.
Her comments drew mixed reactions, with some applauding her for speaking out while others said it was none of her business what parents name their children.
Ntsiki said it was “sad to see that Africans don’t know the significance of the power of naming”.
When one user asked if she was “home affairs”, suggesting she was policing parents, Ntsiki argued: “You’re robbing your child because of your need to fit in".
“Our generation is on the wrong side of history. We are the ones who gave the last bit of ourselves and Africa away. We have enslaved our children’s children and have left them nothing,”she later added.
The adoption of English names arrived with colonial rule and was imposed by missionaries across Africa. For many, they have become fashionable with the spread of Western culture, while others see it as functional and necessary in a modern, globalised world.
“It’s all in the meaning, the symbolism, the history. Some people look at such things. Finally, there is nothing prohibiting us from naming our children as we see fit,” argued user @Abicah_Soul.
Another Twitter user, Erlihleh, said it was down to preference: “If you love a name it doesn’t matter if it is Western.”
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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