Germany naija blues

Get it right, make an effort…

Yesterday I was on facbook and saw a photo I thought made a lot of sense. The Picture you see is Uzo Aduba a character on the Netflix series Orange Is The New Black. I think the words pretty much says it all.

wpid-img_26880897536699.jpegWhat is the point of changing your given name to make another person comfy because they cannot pronounce it properly. The idea is to make an effort. If I go all out to learn how to pronounce all the odd names I have never heard of, why not do the same thing? An African name is no stranger than a Russian, Polish, or German name.

If my name is Nneka, I will not change to Neka. If it’s Edidiong, I will not change it to Didi, or Eddie. If it’s Okporoko I damn well will not change it to Koko. I could write down a whole bunch of Nigerian names but you get the point abi?

In my opinion, it’s a lot better to pronounce my name in all the ways possible except the right way than to cut it short for your comfort. If you are called Deirdre, I will get it right. Or Schumacher, or Müller, or even if your mama decided to name you Reißverschluss

Ever had anyone slaughter your name?

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