WHAT IS IN AN AFRICAN NAME?

PRINCESS ODUNOLA AYEDEMI OF THE NIGERIAN YORUBA ETHNIC GROUP Nurse

Names are such interesting and important characteristics of a person. People can be quite touchy about their names, and, more specifically, what they prefer to be called. I, for one do not appreciate when people decide to make a nickname for me just because they find it difficult to pronounce my name. It bothers me to no end when they don’t even ask to use it, merely just start a sentence with the made-up name.

Sometimes, it seems almost like a challenge, like I might not point it out. Other times, I think people forget, and just call me whatever it is that they call me in their heads. I often get Audre or Odin…like the God of War. But a name is part of a person’s identity: being able to properly pronounce it, or even just try, is a mark or respect toward the other person. Otherwise, if you just create a nickname without even asking for the person’s input, it just seems rather rude, and a touch impersonal, as if you can’t be bothered. You will be surprised how much people value their names and how much memories it brings to their minds.

Our parents/our roots

Many people have names that hail from their family, names that have been passed down from generations. These names often symbolize their culture; they represent their nationality and traditions. Certain names can mean things to certain people, and some names are passed down from father to son in an endless cycle of I, II, III, etc. to represent the proud heritage and continued bloodline of a family. So, in a way, a familiar tie is made –a bond is formed, when a name is chosen for a child– they become part of that family by taking on a name that mirrors where they came from, whether that be a name from a distant relative, beloved, grandparent, or even a mother or father. Perhaps even a traditional name can be taken that bears no tie t the family, but still imbibes that representation of culture and tradition. In Africa, and I speak specifically in relation to the Yoruba culture, we believe your name can either open doors of opportunity for you or be a deterrent to your success. We give our children as many names as possible so that at least their lives can reflect one or more of their names, my son for instance has eleven names all beginning with OLUWA, I want God to be involved in everything he does and I have subconsciously pronounced this to the universe.

In Yoruba culture we also have a folklore called Oriki, this is where we turn the names of our ancestors and all that is attribute to them into a folklore song which reminds us of their lives and successes. If I am to remember my father and tell you a little bit about him I will say….

Adeyemi Alowoloodu bii iyere…Atanda Mo,roundiya Omo ibironke. Akoroboto bi oka Atelele bii eleemo……Ode gogo ti n rin tomi tomi, osoro gboro gbe,da gboro ko…oro gboro o tan ida gboro o wa,ko. I have just told you his name and a little bit about his attributes.

Cultural believes surrounding our names

I know my name can be difficult to pronounce, especially for those unfamiliar with my heritage. But my name is important to me; my name tells a story, a rich history of my generations of ancestors. And giving a nickname or not using my name at all is a disservice, and diminishes my name, lessens its worth. So call me my name, and I will call you yours…

I will endeavour to learn how to pronounce…. O,Ghalagher, O,leary, O,rouke, O,sullivan, I will spell…..S.i.o.b.h.a.n and call it shivon

I will spell……N.i.a.m.h and call it Ninf….i will spell…..P.a.d.r.a.i.g and call it pawdrig

Caoimhe…. KEE-VAH. Grainne……. GRAWN-YAH……. Eoghan……. OWEN and AOIFE……EEEFAH. Even if it is difficult for me to understand the correlation between the alphabets and the words that is coming out of my mouth……I will celebrate your culture and I will call you your name. it is however important that that you do the same for me.

Religious and psychosocial believes surrounding our names

(Ask your parents about the name they gave you)

Your name is the main thing people ask for when they meet you. It is the most important means by which someone can identify and refer to you. First it is important to understand the value of your name. I can confidently say that most, if not all, names have significance. My name comes from a YORUBA WORD and it means……

ODUNOLA (THE FESTIVAL OF WEALTH). ADEPEJU (ALL THE CROWNS ARE PRESENT). ADEYEMI (I DESERVE A CROWN) …. LITERALLY.

I take pride in having such a strong name and wonder everyday why it was chosen for me. My parents know the significance of protecting the story that is connected to my name but how much of it do I even embody? I want to know if I will grow up to fulfil the meaning of my name or simply live with it. How important is your name in your life? ALWAYS REFLECT ON YOUR NAME.

Be unapologetically proud of who you are

You may realize that both your name is an extension of you and you are a part of it. Truly reflect on your name. Your name is powerful, and it will be with you forever. Our names always link us back to our roots….it reminds us of who we are….it reminds us of….” THE WAY WE LEFT”.

EMI ONI FI OWO OSI JEW ILE BABA MI……..

Emi ni omo Afolu,omo owoo ija, omo mosoru Apinni omo iku fi arogbo se,sin Omo Eegun nla t inf oun bii eyan…..Omo agba ti ko ni ika ninu to gbe aana e soo, nu omin ngbona. My name is Princess Adepeju Odunola Adeyemi…. Omo Oyo Alaafin….. Ojo Pasekere omo Atiba……………

Thank you.

Florence Ajala

PhD Candidate, Early Childhood Studies, MIC

My presentation was based on one of the keys findings of my doctoral study titled “A qualitative phenomenological study investigating the lived experiences of Nigerian immigrant mothers who reside in Ireland, and their engagement with their children’s universal early childhood care and education (ECCE) scheme, from the perspectives of 15 Nigerian mothers whose children were availing of the universal Early Childhood Care and Education Scheme (ECCE). The ECCE scheme is a universal approach to quality early childhood care and education available in September of each year to children aged 2 years and 8 months to 5 years and 6 months before they commence primary school (Taguma et al. 2010).

For my doctoral study, I aimed to investigate how Nigerian mothers living in Ireland engaged with their children’s ECCE Scheme however my presentation focused was on child-rearing in Nigeria and Ireland and how stakeholders could support immigrant parents in raising their children in Ireland from the perspectives of the 15 Nigerian mothers who emphasised the challenges they faced in Ireland.

Design

To investigate Nigerian mothers’ engagement with their children’s ECCE, qualitative research appeared to be the best approach as it involves an interpretive, naturalistic approach to the world (Flick 2008). My doctoral study implemented the methods of semi-structured interviews to inquire from Nigerian mothers about what was it like transitioning from their home country Nigeria to Ireland. In response to this question, the issue of differences in child-rearing among Nigerians and Irish was highlighted.

Recruitment

After ethical approval from MIREC, I searched the City and County Childcare committee’s website for a list of preschools in all provinces of Ireland that were offering the ECCE programs. I wrote/emailed/visited preschool owners/managers in the provinces of Ireland, informing them of my doctoral research and asked them to distribute information letters to Nigerian mothers whose children were availing of the ECCE in their settings. After this process, 15 Nigerian mothers from Cork, Dublin, Limerick, and Galway were interviewed for about 40 to 60 minutes capturing their lived experiences concerning how they engaged with their children ECCE.

Nigerian Irish Relationship

Ireland has a longstanding relationship and long-lasting history with Nigeria. In the early 20th century, Irish catholic missionaries came to Nigeria to build schools, hospitals, roads and many more. Guinness beer, an Irish product, is a big name in Nigeria such that in the late 2000s, Nigeria surpassed Ireland to become the secondlargest market for Guinness consumption (Egwu 2020; Jeff 2020).

Some of these developments promoted the catholic faith across Nigeria and contributed to the people-to-people ties between Nigeria and Ireland (Egwu 2020). The long history of migration relationships between Nigerians and the Irish made many Nigerians grow up with a significant presence of Irish missionaries, teachers, and NGOs in their lives, whom they often referred to as ‘Oyinbo’. Oyinbo means a person of European descent or person who is not culturally African (DrhasTech 2017; Egwu 2020). Likewise, the Irish people that came to Nigeria spoke highly of Ireland as a welcoming country. Perhaps this set the scene for the movement of Nigerians to Ireland (Feldman et al. 2008).

The number of Nigerians migrating to Ireland has risen rapidly due to reasons such as family settlement, safety, and social and economic reasons. Nigerians constitute the largest African group living in Ireland (Central Statistics Office 2011). In 2013, Nigerians were the largest single group who received Irish citizenship. It equates to 23.9% of all Irish citizenships granted that year (McMahon 2015).

Child Rearing in Nigeria

In Nigeria, the birth of a new baby is hugely celebrated by all as children are considered treasured gifts from God thus, they are taken care of seriously (Ajayi and Owumi 2013; Okafor 2003). Each ethnic group in Nigeria has its peculiar way of child-rearing practices and instilling values in its tribe and generations of offspring. However, across these ethnic groups, the boys are trained to be dominant, defensive, and strong, while the girls are trained to be submissive, humble, caring, perform domestic chores and take care of the home (Nwoke 2013).

From a younger age, children are trained to be obedient, respectful, submissive to elders and to abide by the Nigerian culture. In the Nigerian culture, control practices such as scolding, deprivation of playtime, harsh tone of voice and facial expressions are permitted to prevent children from misbehaving and losing focus in life (Okafor 2003). Often, Nigerian parents are authoritative, and they discipline their children with the intent to bring up excellent human beings and outstanding world citizens (Mason 2008). However, the educational status of the Nigerian mothers influences their child-rearing practices as mothers who are educated tends to give better moral and financial support to their children (Adamu 2018).

Data Analysis

Braun and Clarke’s (2019; 2022) reflexive thematic analysis. was used to collate key responses that illustrate the perspectives of the 15 Nigerian mothers interviewed.

An analysis of the data proved nine of the fifteen Nigerian mothers interviewed found cultural differences in child-rearing between Nigerians and Irish. These mothers stated that on moving to Ireland, they found it surprising how children were raised, which was quite different to how Nigerians raised children. They emphasised that they struggled with this and had to apply wisdom in raising their children in Ireland. Here are some quotes from the Nigerian mothers interviewed.

“Umm the culture is different; the foundation is different. The Nigerian culture is totally different to like say the culture here and obviously that kind of I have seen of kids around how family units kind of like are nurtured and cultivated. Umm however like the culture is different, the foundation is different, am still Nigerian, every decision that I make is always going to stem from be it am Nigeria”. (Nigerian mother 2).

“So umm culturally we have different ways of mothering, and this is actually brought about through culture, so umm my perspective of what mothering was in Nigeria is definitely different in several ways to what mothering is here in Ireland because there are social and cultural expectations back in the country (Nigeria) which doesn’t really appear here in Ireland.” (Nigerian mother 4).

“Life here as a Nigerian mother has not been easy, because you know, as we Nigerian, how we bring up our kids, you know, but here, you have to take time to study the way kids are being raised. And even though they do some things that you’re not too okay with but you tend to follow them, you know, with wisdom compare to how we do it at home before you say ha, have given it to you, raising kids abroad, is far different from Nigeria, because I have two back in Nigeria, so I know how I have been raising them and coming here with the one I have here, you just have to be wise because raising kids here is hard, let me use the word hard because if you want to give your child the real home training and courtesy kind of life you want, you just have to follow it bit by bit.” (Nigerian mother 11).

“The way we were raised is different from the way we find things here. And the cultural difference, there’s a lot of difference between our race and the race and the people we have found ourselves in. And so like, in Africa, we could scold children but here children are not to be scolded. And in Africa, children cannot tell their parents No, but here, children can tell their parents No. So, in a way it does affect because sometimes you want to say something to your child, and the child says no, and you’re like, oh, God, you’re crossed, and you want to lose it. But you remember that, oh, he’s not raised the way you were raised. And he’s not raised in the environment you were raised. So, you just have to you know, change your method of talking to them, of handling things.” (Nigerian mother 12).

“There is still that difference in the way we raise our children. And the way the Irish, the typical Irish raise their children.” (Nigerian mother 13).

Summary

Although the Nigerian mothers interviewed found differences in child-rearing between Nigerians and Irish, however with time, they adapted their mothering style to suit the Irish style of raising children.

The Way Forward

Early intervention for immigrant parents of young children in Ireland. Parenting classes, mother groups, online seminars, and training should be organised and geared towards equipping immigrant parents with the skills to parent children in Ireland. I believe this will prevent cases of preschool staff referring immigrant parents to social workers.

Referencing List

• Adamu, N.N. (2018) ‘Educational Status and Mothers’ Child Rearing Practice as a Predictor of Child Delinquency among Primary School Pupils in Borno State, Nigeria’, Global Journal of Human-Social Science, 18 (9), 31-36, available: https://globaljournals.org/GJHSS_Volume18/5-Educational-Status-and-Mothers.pdf [accessed 25 Apr 2022].

• Ajayi, J.O. and Owumi, B. (2013) ‘Socialisation and Child Rearing Practices Among Nigerian Ethnic Groups’, Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2 (2), 249-256, available: doi:10.5901/ajis.2013.v2n2p249.

• Braun, V. and Clarke, V. (2019) ‘Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis’, Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 11(4), 589- 597, available: https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2019.1628806.

• Braun, V. and Clarke, V. (2022) ‘Conceptual and design thinking for thematic analysis’, Qualitative Psychology, 9(1), 3–26, available: https://doi.org/10.1037/qup0000196.

• Census of Population 2011- Profile 6: Migration and Diversity, Dublin: Central Statistics Office, available: https://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011profile6/Profile_6_Migration_and_ Diversity_entire_doc.pdf [accessed 24 Jan 2021].

• DrhasTech (2017) ‘Origin of the word “OYINBO”’ 14 May, available: https://idrhas.wordpress.com/2017/05/14/ origin-of-the-word-oyinbo/ [accessed 05 Aug 2021].

• Egwu, P. (2020) ‘St. Patrick and Nigeria: The Irish influence on an African country’s Catholic mission’, 17 May, available: https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/05/17/st-patrick-and-nigeria-the-irish-influence-on-anafrican-countrys-catholic-mission/ [accessed 1 Aug 2021].

• Feldman, A., Gilmartin, M., Loyal, S. and Migge, B. (2008) Getting On: From Migration To Integration Chinese, Indian, Lithuanian, and Nigerian Immigrants’ Experiences In Ireland, Dublin: Immigrant Council of Ireland, available: https://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/3566/1/MG_Getting_On.pdf [accessed 31 Jul 2021].

• Flick, U. (2008) Designing, Qualitative Research, London: sage.

• Jeff (2020) ‘What Country Drinks The Most Guinness In The World (Ranked 2020!)’, 3 Jan, available: https:// irisharoundoz.com/blog/top-5-guinness-drinking-countries-in-the-world/ [accessed 1 Aug 2021].

• Mason, E.D. (2008) ‘Child Rearing – Figments of the Imagination and the Reality of Discipline among Nigerian Parents’, 07 Dec, available: https://www.inigerian.com/child-rearing-figments-of-the-imagination-and-thereality-of-discipline-among-nigerian-parents/ [accessed 25 Apr 2022].

• McMahon, A. (2015) ‘Nigerians were largest group of new Irish citizens in 2013’, The Irish Times, 1 Jul, available: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/nigerians-were-largest-group-of-new-irish-citizensin-2013-1.2269527 [accessed 21 Jul 2021].

• Nwoke, M.B. (2013) ‘Influence of Cultural Value System and Home on Child-Rearing Practices in the Contemporary Nigerian Society’, Open Journal of Philosophy, 3(1A), 200-206, available: doi:10.4236/ ojpp.2013.31A033.

• Okafor, C. B. (2003) ‘Child Rearing Practices in Eastern Nigeria: Implications for Social Work in the United States’, International Journal of Global Health, 2(2), 4-20, available: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/ijgh/vol2/ iss2/2. [accessed 24 Apr 2022].

• Taguma, M., Kim, M., Wurzburg, G. and Kelly, F. (2009) OECD Reviews of Migrant Education, Ireland: OECD Publishing, available: https://assets.gov.ie/24600/4eebc03256c14801b04998855900aee0.pdf [accessed 13 Jun 2021].

Conclusion

This year’s Africa day celebration was impactful as it showcased the cultural significance of Africans in Ireland to the audience present. I am thrilled to be part of it, and I look forward to next year’s Africa Day celebration at Mary Immaculate College Limerick.