Preserve Our Identity: The Dangerous Adulteration of Dagaaba Community Names

Names are not mere labels. They are repositories of history, identity, culture, and collective memory. Every traditional community, festival, river, mountain, or sacred place bears a name that tells a story about the people who founded it, the language they spoke, the values they cherished, and the history they bequeathed to future generations. Once those names are altered, an important part of that history begins to disappear.

A worrying trend is gradually taking root within some Dagaaba communities in the Upper West Region, a trend that, if left unchecked, will distort our cultural identity and rob future generations of their historical heritage.

One glaring example is the community traditionally and historically known as Zang. Among the Dagaaba people, the name has always been Zang. Yet today, the name "Jang" is increasingly appearing in public discourse, media reports, conversations, signposts, and even official documents. This gradual substitution is deeply troubling.

To an insider, Zang and Jang may appear to refer to the same place. To those who understand the importance of language and history, they are not the same. Also, those who do not come from within the region, they may see the two names as being in different locations. A change in pronunciation may eventually become a change in identity. Over time, younger generations may grow up believing that Jang is the authentic name while the original name, Zang, fades into obscurity.

The same concern arises with one of the most cherished festivals of the Dagaaba people—Zumbenti. Across northern Ghana, different ethnic groups celebrate similar festivals under names that reflect their own languages and traditions. Among the Dagaaba, the festival has always been known as Zumbenti. Therefore, whenever journalists, researchers, public institutions, or event organisers are reporting on the festival as celebrated within Dagaaba communities, it should rightly be referred to as Zumbenti, not "Jembenti" or any other name whatsoever.

Every ethnic group has the unquestionable right to preserve its own language and naming traditions. Understandably, neighbouring communities may pronounce certain words differently according to the structure of their own languages. For instance, it is widely believed that among some Waala speakers, names such as Zang and Zumbenti may naturally be pronounced differently. That linguistic reality deserves respect. However, it shouldn't be allowed to erode others' historical and cultural heritage.

Again, such variations should never replace the original names of Dagaaba communities when those communities are being identified in official communication, journalism, academic writing, maps, signposts, public records, or government documents.

If an incident occurs in Zang, the report should state that it occurred in Zang, not Jang. If a cultural event being celebrated is the Dagaaba festival, it should be reported as Zumbenti, not Jembenti. Accuracy in reporting is not merely a journalistic obligation; it is also an obligation to history and to the people whose heritage is being documented.

The consequences of allowing these distortions to continue extend far beyond language.

Culturally, they weaken the transmission of indigenous knowledge from one generation to another. Future generations may lose touch with the authentic names that carry centuries of history and tradition.

Socially, such distortions create confusion about the identity of communities and their cultural heritage. They gradually disconnect young people from their roots and diminish the pride associated with their ancestral identity.

Economically, the effects may be equally significant. Community names appear on development plans, investment documents, tourism materials, academic publications, land records, historical archives, and digital mapping systems. Inconsistent naming creates unnecessary confusion that can affect research, planning, heritage tourism, documentation, and even public administration.

Names are valuable cultural assets. Once they disappear from common usage, recovering them becomes increasingly difficult.

Traditional authorities, opinion leaders, assembly members, district assemblies, educational institutions, media organisations, survey and mapping authorities, researchers, and government agencies must ensure that original Dagaaba names are correctly recorded and consistently used in all official documents and publications.

Every signpost, signboard, public inscription, official record, map, and institutional document bearing incorrect versions of these names should be reviewed and corrected without delay. The authentic names inherited from our forefathers must be restored wherever they have been altered.

This appeal is not directed against any ethnic group. Ghana's cultural diversity is one of its greatest strengths, and every language deserves equal respect. What is being advocated is a simple principle of cultural justice: every people should have the right to be identified by the authentic names they have preserved through generations. Language is identity. Names are history. Once we lose them, we lose an irreplaceable part of ourselves.

The preservation of authentic Dagaaba place names and cultural expressions is not merely an act of linguistic correctness; it is an investment in our history, our dignity, and our future. We owe that responsibility to our ancestors, to ourselves, and to generations yet unborn.

The time to protect our names is now—before history is rewritten, one altered name at a time.