别轻易问非洲人的名字，因为...

They illuminate the past as well as aspirations for the future

If he is in a tight spot, says Trouble Kalua, people mention his name, asking, “What do you expect?” Shortly before his birth in Malawi, his father had lost his job as a bus conductor, impoverishing the family. Then the baby nearly died. “This boy is trouble,” his father said. “His name is Trouble.”

Across Africa names can have a story behind them. Yewande, for instance, is a Yoruba name meaning “mother has paid me a visit”, given when an older female relative dies just before a girl is born. Kiptanui may hint at a difficult birth for mothers who speak one of the Kalenjin group of languages in Kenya.

But southern Africa stands out for nominative creativity, at least when it comes to English names. Ask Zimbabweans about their school friends and you will hear an eclectic register: Lovemore, Hopewell, Innocence, Tedious, Patience, Knowledge, Fortune, Brilliant, God Knows. A Malawian (himself Golden) lists friends named Goodfriday, Wisdom, Iron and BoyBoy.

Names illuminate power and oppression. Under apartheid in South Africa many black people took on English names, some under pressure from bosses too lazy to pronounce their real ones; others to avoid standing out in a system designed to strip black people of their history, dignity and identity.

In his memoir, “Born A Crime”, Trevor Noah, a comedian, says that since African names were used at home, English ones often received little thought. He recalls the example of his friend Hitler, who was named because the original Hitler “was so powerful that…black people had to go and help white people fight against him”.

In Zimbabwe children were long given African names with meaning. This practice switched after British colonisation, when having an English name was seen as a way of getting ahead. Names may refer to circumstances around the birth, a quality parents see in the child, an aspiration for them—or even for the country.

Under white rule some children were called Democracy, Freedom or, allegedly, Polling Station. Other names suggested progress. One venture capitalist recalls school friends named Computer and, unless he was winding your correspondent up, Crankshaft.

Do names shape character? Zimbabweans wryly noted that one Reward Marufu, a late brother-in-law of Robert Mugabe, did well out of his relative’s corrupt regime. But Mr Kalua says he is Trouble by name, not by nature. “Great sense of humour, friendly, patient, kind, loving. Nothing like trouble at all!”

Names, and the language they are in, reflect changing times, too. In Zimbabwe, whose economy is collapsing, one comes across people named No Money. In many places African names are supplanting English ones. In recent years in South Africa, Enzokuhle (“to do good” in Xhosa), has become one of the most popular names, perhaps inspired by a popular song, “Enzo”.

It may be that names such as Salad Nthenda will become relics. The Malawian, whose mother ate lots of vegetables when pregnant, says his “name felt good from day one”. He loves the “uniqueness”. Although he is teased at times, he does not give a toss.

参考译文

非洲南部的人名起得既富有创意又发人深省

这些名字不仅反映了历史，还照亮了人们对未来的期望

麻烦·卡卢亚说，人们每每提及他的名字，都在想他是否陷入困境，都会问他：“你的名字有什么含义?”在他出生于马拉维的前不久，他的父亲失去了公共汽车售票员的工作，这让整个家庭变得一贫如洗。然后孩子差点儿死了。他的父亲说：“这个孩子真是个麻烦，于是他的名字就叫麻烦。”

在非洲，每个人的名字背后都有一个故事。例如，叶万德是一个约鲁巴语名字，意思是“妈妈来看我了”，当一位女性长辈在女孩出生前去世时，这个女孩就会叫这个名字。基普塔努伊可能暗示着一个肯尼亚卡伦津语族母亲在分娩时的艰难历程。

不过非洲南部的人们在取名的创意方面表现突出，至少在取英文名方面是这样的。问津巴布韦人他们在学校的朋友，你会听到五花八门的名字：加倍去爱、一切安好、天真、乏味、耐心、知识、财富、聪明、天知道。一个马拉维人(他自己的名字叫金色)列出了他朋友的名字，分别是耶稣受难日、聪慧、铁和男孩男孩。

名字还反映了权力和压迫。在南非的种族隔离制度下，许多黑人都取了英文名，其中一些人是迫于老板的压力才取的英文名;另一些人则是为了避免在一个旨在剥夺黑人历史、尊严和身份的制度中引人注目。

喜剧演员特雷弗·诺亚在他的回忆录《生来有罪》中写道，因为在家里通常都是用非洲名字，所以英文名往往起得很随意。他回忆起他的朋友希特勒的例子，这个朋友之所以起了这个名字是因为曾经的那个希特勒“太强了……黑人不得不去帮助白人对抗他”。

在过去很长一段时间，津巴布韦人都会给孩子起一些具有意义的非洲名字。这种做法在英国殖民后发生了转变，那时起个英文名被视为出人头地的一种方式。名字可能与出生时的环境有关，也可能是父母希望孩子拥有的品质，对他们甚至对国家的期望。

在白人统治下，一些孩子被起名为民主、自由，甚至(据称)还有投票站。还有一些名字则寓意着进步。一位风险投资家回忆起他在学校时的朋友，有叫计算机的，甚至还有叫机轴的(你确定这不是在逗记者玩)。

名字能塑造性格吗?津巴布韦人讽刺地指出，罗伯特·穆加贝已故的姐夫奖赏·马鲁夫从其亲戚的腐败政权中获利颇多。而卡卢亚说，他的名字虽然叫麻烦，但与本性恰恰相反。“幽默感、友好、耐心、善良、有爱心。一点也不像个麻烦!”

名字以及起名所用的语言也反映了时代的变化。在经济崩溃的津巴布韦，人们会遇到一个叫“没钱”的人。在许多地方，非洲名字正在取代英文名字。近年来，在南非，恩佐库勒(在科萨语中意为“行善”)已经成为最受欢迎的名字之一，也许是受一首名为“恩佐”的流行歌曲的启发。

像萨拉德·恩森达这样的名字可能会成为历史。这位马拉维人的母亲在怀孕时吃了很多蔬菜，他说“从一开始就觉得自己的名字很好听” 他喜欢这种“独一无二”。虽然有时会被他人嘲笑，但他并不在乎。

来源：经济学人

单词解析

1.impoverish [ɪmˈpɑːvərɪʃ]

v. 使贫困;使枯竭

e.g.

We need to reduce the burden of taxes that impoverish the economy.

我们需要减少使经济贫困的租税负担。

2.apartheid [əˈpɑːrtaɪt]

n. 种族隔离制度

e.g.

He praised her role in the struggle against apartheid.

他赞扬了她在反对种族隔离制的斗争中所起的作用。

3.supplant [səˈplænt]

v. 取代;代替

e.g.

He may be supplanted by a younger man.

他可能会被一个年龄比他小的人取代。