What’s in a Name

Summary

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99% Invisible: "What’s in a Name"

Host: Roman Mars
Producer: Kim Chakanetsa
Air Date: January 27, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode explores the unusual, creative, and story-rich naming culture of Zimbabwe, focusing on how the country’s history—from precolonial times through colonial rule to the present—has influenced the ways Zimbabweans name their children. Producer Kim Chakanetsa, herself Zimbabwean and soon to be a parent, traces her own family’s names as a springboard for a deep dive into the meaning, significance, and sometimes social controversy behind Zimbabwean names—names that, to outsiders, often sound like English phrases, virtues, or everyday words. Along the way, the episode examines the roles of colonialism, religion, resistance, and modern migration in shaping these naming traditions.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Zimbabwean Family Trees and Naming Curiosity

• Kim receives a family tree from her uncle, revealing a wide array of names, both traditional Shona and English, and sparking curiosity as she prepares to name her first child.
• Kim Chakanetsa [01:22]:
  “My family tree seemed like a good reference point…as I went through it, I was seeing all of the greatest hits…the classics when it comes to Shona names… There were also English names… Ruth, Gladys, and Lewis.”

The Uniqueness of Zimbabwean Names

• Names like “Safer,” “Medicine,” “Beer,” and “Lovemore” are common in Zimbabwe, though distinctly odd to foreign ears.
• Some names are gendered (“No Matter” or “Memory” are usually for girls).
• Kim [02:41]:
  “Outside of the country, these kinds of names are rather unusual, but to me and millions of other Zimbabweans, these are fairly standard.”

Names as Communication and Expression

• Tanaka Chidora (writer/academic): Shona names are traditionally communicative—expressing parents’ hopes, dreams, grievances, or even insults.
  • Tanaka [06:33]:
    “Names were like WhatsApp statuses...careers of our aspirations, achievements, grievances, tribulations.”
  • Examples include names given to settle scores or express current circumstances (“Netsai” meaning “to bother” or “nag”; “Namu” meaning “misfortune”).

Colonialism and the English Language

• Under British colonial rule, English names and naming conventions were aggressively promoted, often replacing African names in public life.
• Employers would Anglicize “difficult” Shona names (e.g., “Tirivangani” became “Peter”).
  • Ignatius Mabasa (academic) [11:16]:
    “...most of the names that you have among indigenous people, names that are being derived from the association with the white population...I’ll go and give Mr. Brown’s name to my son.”
• The Christian church was instrumental in imposing English names through baptism and missionary schools.

Political Resistance and a Return to African Names

• By the 1960s, nationalist and anti-colonial sentiments begin fueling a resurgence of Shona names—many with explicit or implicit political messages.
• Names became statements of resistance:
  • “Teorai Ropa” (“to spill blood”), or “Tichava Tonga Mabunu” (“we will eventually rule over the whites”).
  • Tanaka Chidora [15:29]:
    “They start giving names that address or speak to this situation of being oppressed.”

Post-Independence Experimentation

• After Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980, a spirit of “gradualism” under Robert Mugabe meant a hybrid culture: English remained dominant, but creative and bold experimentation with names exploded.
• Zimbabweans found freedom to “remix” English with Shona, combining verbs, adjectives, and determiners, or constructing long, compound names.
  • Give Moshonai (academic) [22:04]:
    “So we’re also free to do whatever we want with the language as long as it satisfies what we want to do with the names. We can break the rules.”
  • Names like “No Matter,” “Godknows,” “Admire,” and “Hardlife” became not just common but markers of modern Zimbabwean identity.

The Global Stage: Mockery, Pride, and Change

• In the context of migration and globalization, Zimbabwean names sometimes become fodder for jokes on social media and draw attention abroad.
  • “I know someone whose name is Gearbox…” [26:08]
• Some Zimbabwean parents now choose “safer” international names (Jaden, Jordan, Kaden), fearing ridicule or misunderstanding abroad.
  • Tanaka Chidora [27:04]:
    “They are saying, when my children go and live outside Zimbabwe, I want them to carry a name that does not bring laughter.”

Personal Stories: Embracing Unusual Names

• Learnmore Genasi (comedian): Shares how his name drew mockery abroad but ultimately became a point of pride and a conversation starter on stage.

  • Learnmore [28:08]:
    “Learn More is a Zimbabwean story...everybody wants to know why and that’s my way to start educating people.”

• More Precision Mzadzi (politician): Explains the history and personal pride of his unique name, inspired by his father’s work with Precision Engineering.

  • More Precision [25:23]:
    “My name has got meaning. It’s not a meaningless name. It means being accurate to the point in whatever I do. So it kind of inspires me to do the right thing.”

The Ever-Evolving Identity of Zimbabwean Names

• Kim reflects on naming her own child, choosing “Yanaya,” meaning “the rain has come,” after a long personal “dry season.”
  • Kim [29:02]:
    “My son came after a long wait. His name is Yanaya, which in Shona means the rain has come.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Tanaka Chidora [06:33]:
  “Names were like WhatsApp statuses…careers of our aspirations, our achievements, our grievances, our tribulations.”
• Ignatius Mabasa [11:16]:
  “So, you know, my name is Tirivangani. Oh, that's too long. That's too long. Can I, can I call you Peter?”
• Tanaka Chidora [15:29]:
  “They start giving names that address or speak to this situation of being oppressed.”
• Give Moshonai [22:04]:
  “We’re also free to do whatever we want with the language as long as it satisfies what we want to do with the names. We can break the rules.”
• More Precision Mzadzi [25:23]:
  “My name has got meaning…it means being accurate to the point in whatever I do.”
• Learnmore Genasi [28:08]:
  “Learn More is a Zimbabwean story…that’s my way to start educating people.”
• Kim Chakanetsa [29:02]:
  “His name is Yanaya, which in Shona means the rain has come.”

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:22] – Kim introduces her family tree and reflects on the traditional vs. unusual names in her family.
• [02:41] – Discussion on Zimbabwean names as everyday words/phrases.
• [03:18] – Tanaka Chidora’s perspective on the ubiquity of these names in Zimbabwe.
• [04:45] – Comedian Learnmore Genasi shares reactions to his name abroad.
• [06:33] – Explanation of names as personal statements/statuses in Shona tradition.
• [11:08] – Colonization and the forced adoption of English names.
• [12:40] – English names become dominant in public/work life, with only indigenous names at home.
• [13:21] – The pushback and resurgence of statement-making African names during revolution.
• [15:29] – Names as expressions of resistance.
• [20:20] – Independence and the culture of naming experimentation.
• [22:19] – Zimbabweans experimenting and "shonifying" English names.
• [23:24] – Examples of Bible-influenced English names in Shona.
• [25:14] – More Precision Mzadzi’s unique name origin.
• [26:36] – The influence of global perception and migration on naming choices.
• [28:08] – Learnmore Genasi’s journey to embracing his name.
• [29:02] – Kim’s personal decision in naming her own child.

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Conclusion

"What's in a Name" offers a thoughtful, funny, and moving look at how a nation’s history is embedded in even the most personal choices, like what to name a child. Zimbabwe’s naming traditions—bold, poetic, at times provocative—capture centuries of cultural resilience, adaptation, and creative expression. As Zimbabweans grapple with life at home and abroad, these names continue to evolve, carrying with them a rich, layered story of colonial struggle, resistance, and the ongoing dance of identity.

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Transcript

[A]

A rich life isn't a straight line to a destination on the horizon. Sometimes it takes an unexpected turn, with detours, new possibilities, and even another passenger. Or three. And with 100 years of navigating ups

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[A]

So far There are about 300 names on there, tracing our family's history deep into pre colonial Zimbabwe, the country where I was born. Ours is a typically large Zimbabwean family. My great grandfather had two wives and 15 children, and all of them went on to have a minimum of three kids each. Soon I'll be adding a new name to the spreadsheet and upping our family's grand tally because I'll be having my first child. So I've been thinking a lot about names. My family tree seemed like a good reference point. My family is predominantly Shona, which is the biggest ethnic group in Zimbabwe, and as I went through it, I was seeing all of the greatest hits, the classics when it comes to Shona names. Tapiwa, which means we're being given Ruvimbo, which translates to faith or trust, and Munyaradzi, which means to console. There were also English names, common ones like Ruth, Gladys and Lewis.

[B]

But then Kim started to notice a whole other set of Western names. Actually, to English speakers outside Zimbabwe, they aren't so much names as they are just words. She saw one family member who was named Safer, another named Medicine. One of her many uncles was named Beer.

[A]

Outside of the country, these kinds of names are rather unusual, but to me and millions of other Zimbabweans, these are fairly standard. What might surprise me is if I were to come across a boy called no Matter or memory or privilege because these are typically regarded as girls names.

[C]

I have an uncle called Lovemore and I have an aunt called Loveness. God knows is quite popular too. I went to school with any More, Talk More, Pass More, Give More, Work More. All of these were in my class.

[A]

Tanaka Chidora is a Zimbabwean writer, poet and academic.

[C]

Almost everyone in Zimbabwe is a relative with such a name. Almost everyone. To the extent that when I was growing up and I was called Tanaka, I was wondering why didn't they also give me a name like Love More, you know, because almost everyone around me had such a name.

[A]

If you were born in Zimbabwe like Tanaka and me, especially in the last few decades, you would have heard these kinds of names all around you. But outside of the country, when people hear us say hi, my name is Norest Psychology or Talk More, they are usually questions, comments and jokes. Much of the ribbing is from other Africans, but it also comes from Zimbabweans themselves who although used to these names will still raise their occasional eyebrow.

[C]

My name is Learn More. You know, this is a Zimbabwe thing. Like we have names like this in Zimbabweans, you know, like Learn More, Give More. When I was growing up, my best friend's name was Take it Easy.

[B]

Learn More. Genasi is a Zimbabwean stand up comedian who has gotten a lot of mileage out of his given name. Compared to Zimbabwean names like Hatred, Strongman or Beat Them, the name Learn More might seem mild, but he has not been spared mockery which he began to discover when he started traveling outside of Zimbabwe. There was this one encounter at the South African border.

[C]

As soon as the immigration officer took my passport, she was just like, your name is Learn More. And I was like, yes. She's like, wow. And she called all her other immigration officers. She's like, look guys, Zimbabweans are crazy, you know, and just kind of made fun of that a little bit. But I was like, why is that? I've never had this before, you know,

[A]

I have friends from all over Africa who look at these names as a mix of amusement and curiosity, but also sometimes ridicule. A guy I once met from Botswana describes Zimbabweans as being too whitewashed, pointing to our names as a prime example. Why were we going for these bizarre English names instead of choosing them in Shona Devele, Tonga or any one of our many other indigenous languages? Zimbabwe had such a uniquely dark experience under British colonialism and it's not easy to square that with us choosing these bold, head turning English names.

[B]

Of course, the Shona aren't the only Ones who make single names out of religious expressions or big sentence long ideas. People do this all over the world. Linguists even have technical terms for them like sentential names and theophoric names.

[A]

But I can't think of anywhere that goes as big and as creative as we do in Zimbabwe. As I read my family tree, skimming across names like polite, clever and Admire, I did start to wonder why do we choose names like this so common that in other parts of Africa people will automatically know that you're Zimbabwean?

[B]

The reason these names became so quintessentially Zimbabwean goes way back before there was even a country called Zimbabwe.

[C]

In our Shona culture, names were meant to communicate. Names were like WhatsApp statuses, just like

[B]

people today use their WhatsApp statuses to celebrate, brag and reflect in front of their communities. Tanaka Chidora says Shona names traditionally did something similar. Those names carry the stories of parents, hopes, dreams and worries.

[C]

Names were careers of our aspirations, our achievements, our grievances, our tribulations.

[A]

Just to note that although there are many other ethnic groups in Zimbabwe, I'll be focusing on the Shona within the culture. Names could also be used to chide, insult, or even settle scores. For example, Tanaka says a mother who finds her in laws to be troublesome might name her daughter Netsai, which means to bother or to nag.

[C]

A man who has gone through lots of problems could give the name Namu to his son.

[A]

Namu means misfortune or hardship.

[C]

They were meant to communicate to us and to our neighbors that this is who we are, this is what we have achieved. These are the problems that I'm going through right now.

[B]

Names could be a plea to ancestral spirits for guidance and protection. They could express future desires and imminent fears.

[A]

Zimbabwean academic Ignatius Mabassa remembers the saga behind how one of his great uncles got his name. The story goes that one night before his uncle was born, a family member ran off with his neighbor's wife. Her husband threatened to get revenge by burning down the entire village. The same village, Mabassa says, where his uncle's parents lived.

[C]

So they had to escape and run away. They sought refuge with some relatives who were living far away. And so that was the very same night that he was born and he became teacher Pondwa, which means we will be murdered.

[B]

For the Shawnee, this way of choosing and giving names, in fact, their entire way of life was turned upside down. Starting in the late 19th century, the British diamond magnate Cecil John Rhodes. I'm going to pause for Boeing enters the story Here he played a major role in establishing South Africa's colonial government and began plotting to set up a similar colony to the north.

[C]

This was the country which he brought under the British crown and formed into a British colony.

[A]

Rhodes financed the British invasion of territory occupied by the Ndevele and Shona people, territory that Europeans nonetheless felt was theirs for the taking.

[C]

Wild lands in the heart of Africa, which his vision pictured as the home of a thriving, prosperous people, but populated at that time only by wild beasts and roving tribes.

[A]

In 1895, after a brutal war, British settlers created a new colonial state named after Rhodes himself.

[B]

Rhodesia was established as a so called settler colony, which is exactly what it sounds like. Large groups of British settlers took the land by force, establishing their own government and steamrolling over the Africans who lived there.

[C]

It was a total attempt at transforming a whole people.

[A]

Innocent Msindo is a Zimbabwean historian.

[C]

It's an attempt to change people's identities, an attempt to force people to either hybridize or mimic particular ways of doing things, doing justice, particular ways of dressing language.

[B]

White Rhodesians seized the cattle of indigenous farmers, burned their crops and locked Africans into a tax system that was tantamount to slavery. Whites got access to the best jobs while Africans were forced into low wage labor in mines or on farms.

[A]

Under this new racial hierarchy, English became the language of power. Africans had to adapt. Being able to speak it as an African granted you a little more access, perhaps a slightly higher position on the farm or on the factory floor.

[B]

That meant that ancient traditions began to take a backseat to the more immediate realities of colonialism. Shauna Naming practices where parents gave names that told stories and were meant to shape their children's destinies, those were becoming less common.

[A]

Ignatius Mabassa says at times people will find that their name was considered too difficult by the employer, so they were given another one.

[C]

So, you know, my name is Tirivangani. Oh, that's too long. That's too long. Can I, can I call you Peter? So you, you have a period probably say from the 1920s going up, most of the names that you have among indigenous people, names that are being derived from the association with the white population, you know, so I'm working with Mr. Brown. I'll go and give Mr. Brown's name to my son. If Mr. Brown has children, I'll also give names of Mr. Brown to my children.

[B]

One of the driving forces in the replacement of Shawna names with English ones was the church. Christian missionaries descended on the region, setting up churches, hospitals and schools. All over the colony.

[A]

Some of those missionaries encouraged Ignatius Mabasa's grandmother to come to school. Eventually she was baptised and with that came a name change.

[C]

My grandmother Mazurega became Emma and her brother Simbare Kutaya, baptized John Mazurega, or

[A]

Emma, would eventually give birth to a son who was baptized and called Augustine. He in turn had a son named Ignatius. Similar naming choices were being made at the exact same time by Africans throughout the colony.

[B]

Shona names did not disappear, but they were mostly just used at home, in public, at school or at work. English names dominated. For the first half of British rule in Rhodesia, Africans did this dance, choosing Western names in order to navigate the colonial system.

[A]

But starting in the 1960s, the country would experience enormous political upheaval. After rebellion and then a revolution, back to back, it emerged a different nation with a very different set of names. Africans would begin turning back to Shona and other indigenous languages and choosing names that were charged with political resistance.

[B]

This pushback started when white settlers staged their own resistance by deciding that Rhodesia would no longer be a British colony.

[C]

The people of Rhodesia will not be hindered in our determination to continue exercising our undoubted right to demonstration.

[B]

Led by Prime Minister Ian Smith, Rhodesia declared its independence from Great Britain in 1965.

[C]

We do, by this proclamation, give to the people of Rhodesia the constitution annexed here too. God Save the Queen.

[A]

White settlers in Rhodesia had invented their own identity, calling themselves Roadies. And they were living a very comfortable life. They had good jobs, houses with swimming pools, staff to keep it all running, plus excellent weather.

[B]

Thanks to an aggressive Come to Rhodesia ad campaign that beckoned to white people in Europe and the US the settler population swelled to about 273,000.

[A]

But this was a tiny minority compared to the roughly 6 million black Africans in Rhodesia, many of whom had been forced off their land by the settlers. Those Africans had hoped to participate in Rhodesia's government. But when the colony declared itself independent, it became clear that this new nation would be run exclusively by the white settlers. For the Africans, this was the last straw.

[C]

They began to suddenly have their eyes open. Wow. Oh, so we are oppressed. Oh, so we also have a culture, we have a language, we have a right to be. Oh, this is actually our land.

[A]

They were witnessing this massive wave of independence. Movements sweeping across the continent in the mid-60s inspired and emboldened Africans in Rhodesia turned from assimilation to full scale open rebellion. Everything from attacks against the state launched by insurgent nationalist groups, to the symbolic shedding of European names and returning to African ones.

[C]

They start giving names that address or speak to this situation of being oppressed.

[A]

People were choosing assertive statement making shona names. Leading the charge were nationalist leaders who took on names like Teorai Ropa, which means to spill blood, and Chibwe Chiteza, which is hard to translate but basically suggests someone who cannot be moved. Ignatius says one of his uncles was given a name that reflected this growing sense of defiance.

[C]

His full name was Tichava Tonga Mabunu. We will eventually rule over the whites. What a name.

[B]

Coming up, Zimbabwe wins its independence and with that, the nation's culture of big bold names really takes off. That's after the break, Ready to give your home a style refresh? Article makes it easy to create a stylish, long lasting home at an unbeatable price. They offer a curated selection of mid century, modern, coastal and Scandi inspired pieces that will make a perfect addition to your home. All article collections are carefully curated, focusing solely on high quality, meaningful pieces that will stand the test of time. And with Article's 30 day satisfaction guarantee, you can shop with confidence. I'm trying to think of any of the article furniture I haven't talked about at this point. I have couches, I have dining room sets, I have sideboards, I have, what do you call it, a media center thing that you put a TV on? Side tables, end tables, chairs. All of them are still in heavy use in my house and all of them have held up. Great Article is offering our listeners $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more. To claim, visit article.com 99 and the discount will be automatically applied at checkout. That's article.com 99 for $50 off your first purchase of 100 dollars or more. This episode is brought to you by Progressive, where drivers who save by switching save nearly $750 on average. Plus auto customers qualify for an average of 7 discounts. Quote [e-mail] to see if you could save Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates national average 12 month savings of $744 by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive between June 2022 and May 2023. Potential savings will vary. Discounts not available in all states and situations. This podcast is brought to you by Squarespace. Whether you're just starting out or scaling your business, Squarespace is the all in one website platform designed to help your business stand out and succeed online. Squarespace gives you everything you need to offer services and get paid all in one place. From consultations to events and experiences. Showcase your offerings with a customizable website designed to attract clients and grow your business. Get paid on time with professional on brand invoices and online payments. Plus streamline your workflow with built in appointment scheduling and email marketing tools. I set up Romanmars.com on Squarespace I don't know 12, 13 years ago and here's the best testimony that I can give. I never worry about it. I designed it myself. It just works. It updates on its own. It is never down as far as I know. It is just great. Head to squarespace.com invisible for a free trial and when you're ready to launch, use offer code Invisible to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. A thoughtfully built wardrobe comes down to pieces that mix well and last. That's where Quince shines. Premium fabrics considered design and everyday essentials that feel effortless to wear and dependable even as the seasons change. Quince has the everyday essentials you'll love with quality that lasts. Lightweight cashmere sweaters, short sleeve Mongolian cashmere polos, linen bottoms and shorts. These are the versatile pieces that make a wardrobe actually work season to season. When Quince first came on as a sponsor they gave me a couple of pieces to try out and then since then I bought many many more things from Quints. So originally I got this zip up cashmere sweater and I went and bought the fisherman version with the ribbing on it and I wear both of them all the time right now. Go to quints.com invisible for free shipping and 365 day returns. That's a full year to wear it and love it and you will now available in Canada too. Don't keep settling for clothes that don't last. Go to quince.com Invisible for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com Invisible After 15 years of war with the white Rhodesian government, Africans finally won their independence in 1980. They renamed their country Zimbabwe.

[A]

Zimbabwe was one of the last former colonies to win independence. After watching its neighbors struggle to figure out what to do with their colonial legacies, Zimbabwe's new government decided the best approach was to go very slowly. And this spirit of gradualism would even inspire a shift in Zimbabwe's naming culture.

[B]

The new Prime Minister was a man named Robert Gabriel Mugabe. There is a lot to say about him and his complicated legacy, but The Mugabe of 1980 embodied the moment. He was a revolutionary leader and an icon of anti colonial resistance. But he also was a missionary educated man who spoke crisp English and was known for his Love of cricket and impeccably tailored Savile Row suits.

[C]

There is that saying that Mugabe was more English than the British.

[A]

This is historian Innocent Msindo.

[C]

The political leadership of the time was more English than the English.

[A]

As Prime Minister, Mugabe encouraged gradualism. There was land redistribution, but it was small scale. New schools were built, but many of them continued to mirror the British system.

[B]

Other colonial flourishes remained too. African judges insisted on wearing powdered horsehair wigs. And English held firm as the official language in education, government and just about every other part of civic life in Zimbabwe.

[A]

But as the country was figuring out its new identity, what to keep and what to shed, one of the main places where Zimbabweans could really experiment and push boundaries was names.

[C]

We're talking of a free Zimbabwe.

[A]

Give Moshonai as a Zimbabwean academic.

[C]

So we're also free to do whatever we want with the language as long as it satisfies what we want to do with the names. We can break the rules. We are not free.

[A]

After nearly a century of repression, of being told what you could or could not do, it was in this new free Zimbabwe that the culture of wild experimentation and play with names really took off. As power shifted into the hands of Zimbabweans, so did they sense that they were able to do whatever they wanted with English? Yes, it was still the dominant language, but now Africans were in control, free to remix and shonify their names as they liked.

[C]

I would not just pick a name like obey, like together, like polite. That's too easy. Now we can add a verb, a determiner, an adjective and compound and come up with a name. Now I can go and even express myself more and say, God knows more blessing or glad more or worth more. Playing around with English and making it even more complicated.

[A]

This meant that a name like Hagine, which conveys a message of acceptance and resilience in Shona, got translated to no matter.

[B]

They're also taking names inspired by the Bible, like grace and faith and mercy, and translating them into Shona, which was new. These words were never used as names in Shona before.

[A]

My younger brother's name is Kwziwa Kwashe, which is a popular Shona name. After independence, you started to see more of its English translation, which is God knows. I would bet that most Zimbabweans know of at least one God knows. It's been 45 years since independence and these names are everywhere. There's a famous ex footballer Havelook Dube, and a politician named Welshman Nguy. A friend in Harare wentz had to call the police and the officer who showed up introduced himself as Inspector Breakfast. We weren't sure if his first name was Breakfast or Inspector. When I was researching this story, I came across one of several online forums posing the question, what is the strangest Zimbabwean name you've heard? There were all sorts of submissions, names like Hard Life and Lieutenant, most of which I could hazard a guess to their backstory. But there was one name on there that I was especially curious about. Please, could you start by introducing yourself? Tell us who you are.

[C]

My name is More Precision Mzadzi.

[A]

More Precision Mzadzi is a politician based in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare. His name is a nod to the work his father did for decades.

[C]

My father worked for British American tobacco for almost 30 years. He was working as a machine operator. So in that department there was a lot of equipment which was manufactured by Precision Engineering. So that's where he got the idea of naming me.

[A]

The fact that his name was in this online forum full of Zimbabweans suggests that it's seen as unusual even by our own creative naming standards.

[C]

My name is something that I really love and adore and I cherish and I treasure it. Everywhere I go, people actually are curious. Say, what's your name again? My name has got meaning. It's not a meaningless name. It means being accurate to the point in whatever I do. So it kind of inspires me to do the right thing.

[B]

In the last two decades, Zimbabwe's economy has been in collapse. Record breaking inflation forced millions to leave and fan out across the globe. This means that the rest of the world has had a lot more exposure to Zimbabwe's unique naming conventions.

[A]

These unique names have also gotten much more attention outside of Zimbabwe thanks to social media, especially TikTok, where they are a popular punchline.

[C]

Which African countries have the weirdest names? Zimbabwe. I know someone whose name is Gearbox. Gearbox.

[A]

Let me tell you what they do in Zimbabwe. I met someone called Anything, Anything, Anything.

[B]

This is all mostly in good fun, but Tanaka Chidora worries that the social media roasts plus the mass exodus out of Zimbabwe could one day spell the end of a unique naming culture.

[C]

We are now aware, for example, of what the world out there thinks of us because of our names. Right? And to tell you the truth, most Zimbabwean parents now, when they have children, they are also thinking of where the children will go when they grow up.

[A]

Tanaka says he's seeing parents opting for names like Jaden, Jordan and Kaden, the kinds of names inspired more by reality TV stars. And Premier League footballers than by the

[C]

New Testament most Zimbabweans have now what we have we can call an outward orientation. They are saying, when my children go and live outside Zimbabwe, I want them to carry a name that does not bring laughter. For a long time, I really didn't like the name.

[B]

Learn More Zimbabwean stand up comedian Learn More. Genasi started to have reservations about his name when he found out the story behind it.

[C]

It's because my mother was young when she heard me, so my name was a message to my mother to always remind her to learn more from what she had done, you know, so for like a week, actually, my name was Realize. They actually named me Realize. And then they realized, no, no, that's too much, too on the nose. Let's name him.

[A]

Learn More When Learmore first started performing around the world, he used the stage name Long John the Comedian. But privately, when he'd share his real name, people were eager to hear about its origins.

[C]

Learn More is a Zimbabwean story. So that's when I went back to my actual name instead of a stage name. And then I started calling myself Learn More and it's a conversation starter. As soon as I introduce myself, everybody wants to know why and that's my way to start educating people, you know?

[A]

But Learmore says we shouldn't be shying away from names like his, which are hard won and tightly stitched into the fabric of who we are as a country.

[C]

Our names are very unique and they come, they come from a real place. So honestly, like, if you have a name like that, you know, if you come from Zimbabwe, just be proud of it, you know, because it's a story, you know, we are all, we are unique. We are very, we are a very unique little country and we should be proud of it. And I am.

[A]

My relationship to these names has shifted over the years. For a long time, they felt foreign, not really ours. But as I've come to understand them better, I can appreciate the history that led us to them, the Zimbabweanness of them. When it came to naming my child, I wanted one that did what our names have done for generations, whether in Shona, Ndebele or Zimbabwean English. I wanted a name that told a story. Every year in Zimbabwe, you have a long dry season and when it finally rains, everything changes. The landscape is green and lush. It's completely transformed. My son came after a long wait. His name is Yanaya, which in Shona means the rain has come. Foreign.

[B]

99% invisible was produced this week by Kim Chakonetsa and edited by Christopher Johnson. This episode was mixed by Martin Gonzalez with music by Swan Real and George Langford. Fact Checking by Nidia Bautista Special thanks this week to trust Simende and Adam Hutchings. Kathy 2 is our executive producer. Kurt Kohlstedt is the Digital Director. Delaney hall is our Senior Editor. The rest of the team includes Chris Perube, Jason De Leon, Emmett Fitzgerald, Vivienne Lesha, Madonn, Joe Rosenberg, Jacob Medina, Gleason, Talon and Rain Stradley and me, roman Mars. The 99% invisible logo was created by Stefan Lawrence. We are part of the Sirius XM podcast family now, headquartered six blocks north in the Pandora Building in beautiful uptown Oakland, California. You can find us on all the usual social media sites as well as our own Discord server. There's a link to that as well as every past episode of [e-mail]. The new LinkedIn hiring pro can't undo your last hire.

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