colonial times through the days of
apartheid, black people in South
Africa were required to have an
English or European name as well—
a name that white people could
pronounce, basically. So you had
your English name, your traditional
name, and your last name: Patricia
Nombuyiselo Noah. Nine times out
of ten, your European name was
chosen at random, plucked from the
Bible or taken from a Hollywood
celebrity or a famous politician in
the news. I know guys named after
Mussolini and Napoleon. And, of
course, Hitler.
Westerners are shocked and