Africa is a continent in which ancient traditions live side by side with Western culture, and are often syncretized with to varying extents, depending on the peoples practicing them. These traditions range from the innocuous to ones that inflict a lot of pain.
In life, there are 5 rites of passage, these being: birth, adulthood, marriage, eldership and ancestorship. Of these 5, people ordinarily associate rites of passage with the passage into adulthood.
The birth rite can be separated into three major events; the birth of the baby, the naming of the baby, and taking the baby outdoors. The labors of childbirth were left to traditional midwives and other women who could also play a role in the naming of the baby. The baby was (and still is) mostly either named after relatives, both dead and living, or events surrounding their births.
Among the Akan of Ghana, a baby was named 8 days after his birth, to align his spirit with divine powers. This was also a time to confirm that the child was here to stay, and would not be returning back to the land of the ancestors. Until the naming ceremony, the child was considered a stranger to the society. The child’s first name was conventionally the day of the week he was born, and the table below shows the child’s name according to this convention.
| Day of The Week Baby Is Born | Given Akan Name: Male// Female |
| Monday | Kwadwo//Adwoa |
| Tuesday | Kwabena// Abena |
| Wednesday | Kwaku// Akua |
| Thursday | Kwao or Yao// Yaa |
| Friday | Kwafi or Kofi// Afia or Afua |
| Saturday | Kwame or Kwamena// Amma |
| Sunday | Kwasi or Kwesi// Akousa or Esi |
These were the names of children according to the order of birth in Akan Society:
First…………………………Piesie
Second…………………… Manu // Maanu
Third…………………….. Mensa// Mansa
Fourth………………….. Anan// Anane
Using these naming conventions, we can deduce that one of Ghana’s renowned diplomats, Kofi Atta Annan, was born on a Friday and was the fourth born. His middle name is given to twins, so without being told, we should be aware that Kofi Annan came from a twin birth (his twin sister, Efua Atta, passed away in 91).
The naming ceremony was also elaborate and mobilized elders and relatives from both sides of the baby’s family. Libations were poured and the baby was named by the father. If the child was a girl, a broom was placed in her hand as part of the naming procedure; if the child were a boy, a cutlass was placed in his hand. When the naming ceremony was completed, the child was taken outside, where the community was presented with its first chance to meet him/ her.
Performing elaborate ceremonies for the naming of a baby is rare if at all it happens nowadays; the passage into adulthood and marriage are still elaborately carried out in many parts of Africa, but those are topics for another day. However, even in the absence of such fetes, the naming conventions that have been adhered to for generations are often followed when naming a newborn.
By Matengo Chwanya
Africa Global News Publication
