Ije Afa Ekene - What Name Are You Really Known By?

You know that there are some people that you may never know their real names because they may not have been called those names in ages. These are much more than Nicknames or Aliases. They are what my people would call Afa Ekene which means the name you are greeted by.

Welcome to this week's blog where I take you on a journey of names and the identity they give.

Afa Ekene basically is given to you either when you come of age, attain a certain achievement or when you get married - circumstances where it is borderline rude to just call you by your given name. This is definitely not a chieftaincy title, it is just a name you are greeted by.

For instance a new wife is called Nwunye (Wife) then she graduates to Oriaku (The one who eats the wealth) and finally Odoziaku (The one who keeps the wealth). Every woman aspires to be called Odoziaku. I call my gran Ekwuru (A beautiful bird). For the men they could be called aliases such as Ndubuluapali (If life were grass I would have been blown away); Nnanyelugo (The Father has given glory) or Ogene (Ogene is one of the most important instruments in the Igbo culture) this alias is usually reserved for the oldest man in some communities.

In my place of origin, we practice a culture where a child is named after someone else, it may be an aunt/uncle, a parent, grand-parent or just a respected friend. And so you could walk into a home and there are 3 or more people bearing the same name. As a result when you call out that name, to avoid 3 or more different people responding to the call, it becomes important that each person would have an alias added to their name to act as a differentiator.

Take Ijeoma for instance, you would hear calls outs like Ije-Nnukwu (Big Ije); Ije-Obele (Small Ije) or sometimes Ijeoma-Isiukwu (Big-headed Ijeoma). Haa Haa Haa, very ridiculous right?

It gets more interesting when you move out to the larger society, it becomes a thing of status where a mother would rather be called Nne-Doc (Doctor's Mother), Nne-Engineer (Engineer's Mother) or Nne-Lawyer (Lawyer's Mother); most and generally mothers have been known by the exotic professions their children study or practice.

So now, with the advent of my brothers doing well in the abroad and the fact that core professions have digressed from just being doctors, lawyers or engineers; it becomes impossible to call the woman Nne-Actuarial Scientist (do they even know what that profession is) or Nne-Scammer if that is his chosen profession. Heh Heh Heh. Abeg oh, this is just an honest example, LOL. In a village where there are multiple illustrious sons bearing the same name, it is now more popular to identify their different mothers based on where their sons live.

You now hear Nne Okey na Malay (Mother of Okechukwu who lives in Malaysia); Nne Okey Japan (Mother of Okechukwu who lives in Japan). Some maintain their Afa Ekene in addition to their location. And so you would hear people being called Odogwu Malay (Strong man in Malaysia); O si na nwata bulu Ogaranya 1 na 'Sia (The one who became wealthy as a child the 1st of Asia/Malaysia/Indonesia). God help you if you are now the Okechukwu who is still in the village, possibly a secretary with no real accolade, you will just be called Okey Ode Akwukwo (Okechukwu the writer). Life is tough.

Haa Haa Haa, I tell you, there is never a dull moment with my brothers.

So tell me, do you have any aliases that you are known by? Or do you practice Afa Ekene where you come from? Perhaps you are one of people in the abroad whose mom is now know as Nne Somebody na Obodo Oyibo. Please share in the comment section below. It may not be you, perhaps you're responding for a friend. Haa Haa Haa, we would still love to hear about your friend. I guess right now I have earned the name Ije-South - I should present this name to the council of elders for endorsement.

Till I come your way next Thursday, have a great week. Don't forget to follow me on Facebook and Instagram. The handle is ije_journey

Ije..........Journey