Correcting of names : Reclaiming identity

WHEN Cecil John Rhodes and his Pioneer Column started pegging out land and stands more than 120 years ago, they gave certain areas names that depicted who they were and what they stood for. The country therefore became an extension of Britain with names such as Fort Victoria, Hartley, Fort Charter, and Fort Salisbury which were representative of their heroes back home and amongst themselves.

This meant the blacks were disempowered of their social, economic and political way of life as the British tried to establish themselves as the rightful owners of the land forcing locals to submit as laborers under white bondage.

The white man who had taken away the land named streets and suburbs they had pegged out to resonate who they are, probably with the hope of bringing the past into the present as it would be celebrated by their siblings who they assumed would take over their legacy.

Unfortunately, in the process of naming these suburbs and streets, there were misspellings that reconfigured our identity and this was never corrected in post-colonial Zimbabwe.

Not only were streets and suburbs named, but also schools, hospitals and other public places made to be an appendage of colonialism that has been carried over into post independence.

Thirty six years down the line, some places still represent a narrative of colonial bondage with misspellings of suburbs and streets still affirming 'white dominance' over the black majority as a part of the history was not corrected.

Talk of misspellings of such names as Makokoba, Pelandaba, Lobengula, Nketa, Kumalo, and Matsheumhlope. All these names represent a direct distortion of a historical identity that is crying out loud for correction.

Names themselves often translate in us having value in ourselves as individuals and correcting them would mean celebrating the significance of such an identity that has already been reconfigured.

However, some street names and suburbs are representative of historical heroes whose contribution to the identity of the people of Matebeleland can never be overemphasised.

For example, Nketa (Nketha) was named after the Traditional Heritage Site of Nketha Hill on which King Lobengula assembled his entire kingdom and divided its citizens according to cultural ethnicity and different stages of incorporation into three groups the Zansi which is Xhosa for "south", referring to the people who left the Zulu Kingdom originally, the Enhla or Nxele which referred to the second mass incorporated group which was the Swati, Pedi, Sotho with whom they settled at Mhlahlandela 1 and the final group was the Hole, which constituted of the Shona, Kalanga and Bakwena.

Similarly, Pumula (Phumula) means "a resting place", reference to the fact that many have built homes there to retire and Makokoba (Makhokhoba) got its name from Mr. Fallon, who because of old age used walk around with a bending back and an aid of a stick.

The name comes from the word "umakhokhoba" which was used by the locals to refer to Mr Fallon meaning "the little old man who walks with a stick". It is the oldest "African" dwelling in the city and it became home to nationalistic political activism in the city.

Matsheumhlope comes from suburb's association with river and means "White Stones". White stones in Ndebele and Zulu languages are amatshe amhlope while the name Lobengula (Lobhengula) which is derived from the second and last king of the Ndebele, still remains uncorrected.

Even the name Bulawayo is incorrect as it is meant to be KoBulawayo and a colonial legacy that is still subconsciously lingering. Street naming is, therefore, part of the post colonial politics of erasing the colonialist discourse in the search for a distinct national identity.

This being said, it becomes imperative to say that such a colonial legacy is still being carried over and continues to dilute our identity and sense of being African.

It goes without saying that in every epoch, street names, suburbs and public institutions should be commemorative of history and merge the past into ordinary settings of human life.and come up with a budget. Also considering the fact that our city recently celebrated 120 years of existence, such developments are welcome for the city," she said.