Africanization
- Africanization can also refer to Africanized "killer" bees.
Africanization or Africanisation (lit., making something African) has been applied in various contexts, notably in naming and in the composition of staff.
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[edit] 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.[1]
It is worth noting that in many cases during the colonial period, African place names were Anglicized or Francized.
Various African countries have undergone name changes during the previous century as the result of consolidations and secessions, territories gaining sovereignty, and regime changes.
| Previous name | Year | Current name |
|---|---|---|
| Overseas Province of Angola | 1975 | Angola, Republic of |
| Dahomey, Republic of | 1975 | Benin, Republic of |
| Bechuanaland Protectorate | 1966 | Botswana, Republic of |
| Upper Volta | 1984 | Burkina Faso |
| Oubangui-Chari | 1960 | Central African Republic |
| Zaire, Republic of | 1997 | Congo, Democratic Republic of the |
| Middle Congo | 1960 | Congo, Republic of the |
| Ivory Coast, The | 1985 | Côte d'Ivoire, Republic of |
| Afars and the Issas, Territory of | 1977 | Djibouti, Republic of |
| Spanish Guinea | 1968 | Equatorial Guinea, Republic of |
| Abyssinia | 1941 | Ethiopia, Federal Democratic Republic of |
| Gold Coast | 1957 | Ghana, Republic of |
| French West Africa (part of) | 1958 | Guinea, Republic of |
| Portuguese Guinea | 1974 | Guinea-Bissau, Republic of |
| Basutoland, Territory of | 1966 | Lesotho, Kingdom of |
| Nyasaland Protectorate | 1964 | Malawi, Republic of |
| French Sudan | 1960 | Mali, Republic of |
| Overseas Province of Mozambique | 1975 | Mozambique, Republic of |
| South West Africa | 1990 | Namibia, Republic of |
| German East Africa / Ruanda-Urundi | 1962 | Rwanda, Republic of / Burundi, Republic of |
| British Somaliland / Italian Somaliland | 1960 | Somalia Republic |
| Zanzibar / Tanganyika | 1964 | Tanzania, United Republic of |
| Buganda | 1962 | Uganda, Republic of |
| Northern Rhodesia | 1964 | Zambia, Republic of |
| Southern Rhodesia (autoproclaimed as Rep. of Rhodesia in 1965) | 1980 | Zimbabwe, Republic of |
[edit] Examples
[edit] 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
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
[edit] 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.
[edit] See also
[edit] 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).[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Edgar A. Gregersen (1977). Language in Africa: An Introductory Survey. CRC Press. ISBN 0-677-04380-5.
- ^ Adedeji, Adebayo. "Comparative strategies of economic decolonization of Africa." In Ali AlʼAmin Mazrui and Christophe Wondji, eds. Africa Since 1935. UNESCO
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