Summary of What’s in a Name

Overview of What’s in a Name (99% Invisible — Roman Mars)

This episode examines Zimbabwean naming practices—especially among the Shona—tracing how names function as social messages, how colonialism and missionary influence changed naming patterns, and how independence let Zimbabweans creatively remix English and indigenous languages into bold, often sentence-like names. Through family stories, historians, writers, and comedians, the episode shows names as living records of history, identity, politics, and aspiration.

Main narrative and structure

• Roman Mars opens with his producer Kim Chakaneza’s family-tree spreadsheet and his own family’s Shona names.
• The episode explains traditional Shona naming: names as communicative statements (stories, hopes, grievances) — likened to “WhatsApp statuses.”
• It traces the colonial impact: Cecil Rhodes, the creation of Rhodesia, racial hierarchy, the rise of English as the language of power, and how missionaries and workplaces encouraged English or “Western” names.
• The 1960s–1980s political upheaval reversed some assimilation: nationalist and defiant Shona names proliferated during the liberation struggle.
• After independence (1980) and under leaders like Robert Mugabe, Zimbabweans began freely experimenting with English—“shonifying” it—producing names that are verbs, phrases, or novel compounds (e.g., No Matter, Learn More, Lovemore).
• The episode concludes with modern pressures: economic collapse, diaspora, social-media mockery, and parents increasingly choosing globally acceptable names — but some, like comedian Learn More Janasi, embrace and use their names to start conversations. Roman shares his own son’s name, Yanaya (“the rain has come”).

Key topics discussed

• Traditional Shona naming practices and their communicative function
• Colonial and missionary influence on personal names
• Political names during anti-colonial struggle and post-independence assertions of identity
• Linguistic creativity: turning English words/phrases into given names
• Social consequences today: diaspora, mockery on social media, and shifting naming preferences

Notable examples (names and stories)

• Traditional Shona names: Tapua (“we’ve been given”), Rurimbo (“faith/trust”), Munyaradzi (“to console”)
• English/word-as-name examples: Suffer, Medicine, Beer, Memory, Privilege
• Compound/phrase names: Lovemore, Loveness, Learn More, Talk More, Pass More, Give More, Work More
• Political/defiant names: Teorai Ropa (“to spill blood”), Chibwe Chitedza (roughly “one who cannot be moved”), Tichava Tonga Mabunu (“we will eventually rule over the whites”)
• Unique personal names discussed: Welshman Mwwe, Inspector Breakfast, Mo Precision Muzadzi (named after father’s precision-engineering job)
• Host’s son: Yanaya (Shona — “the rain has come”)

Notable quotes and insights

• “Names were like WhatsApp statuses.” — Tanaka Chidora (summarizing how names broadcast family stories and social position)
• “The political leadership of the time was more English than the English.” — Innocent Msindo (on Mugabe-era elites and the persistence of English influence)
• “We will eventually rule over the whites.” — Tichava Tonga Mabunu (example of a liberation-era name expressing political aspiration)
• Learn More Janasi: using his name as a conversation starter and a way to educate outsiders about Zimbabwean naming culture.

Cultural significance & historical timeline (concise)

• Pre-colonial/traditional: names communicate events, hopes, warnings, social relationships.
• Colonial era (late 19th–mid 20th c.): British settler rule, dispossession, English becomes language of power; missionaries push Christian names; Shona names often relegated to private use.
• Liberation era (1960s–1979): politicized names expressing resistance and aspiration.
• Post-independence (1980 onward): creative “shonification” of English; explosion of novel names as assertion of identity.
• Recent decades: economic crisis and migration expose Zimbabwe’s names to global audiences, provoking both curiosity and derision; diaspora pressures change naming preferences.

Key takeaways

• Zimbabwean names are deeply meaningful and historically legible: they encode family stories, political moments, and cultural adaptation.
• Colonialism suppressed but also indirectly transformed naming practices (through English-language schooling, baptismal names, and workplace pressures).
• Independence enabled playful, bold reinvention of names—often blending English and Shona grammar and sensibilities.
• Globalization and migration are now influencing name choices, with some parents favoring internationally familiar names to avoid ridicule or practical friction abroad.
• Names remain tools of identity, resistance, memory, and ambition; many Zimbabweans continue to cherish their distinctive names.

Practical notes / for listeners

• The episode mixes personal anecdotes, interviews (Tanaka Chidora, Ignatius Mabasa, Innocent Msindo), and historical framing—useful for anyone studying onomastics, postcolonial identity, or African social history.
• If you’re curious about family naming histories, approach them as narratives: names often map to events, hopes, and social conditions.

Where to find the episode

• 99% Invisible (Roman Mars). Available on 99pi.org and major podcast platforms (episode: “What’s in a Name”).