Change the names of our regions

Several years ago, the chiefs, opinion leaders and the people of former Labadi, now La, came together to discuss the name with which they lived, Labadi, and went into its background to unravel the fact that the name was an anathema, one that 'gave them a BAD name' and bequeathed to them by the British colonial 'big sister', so they talked to the government and the BAD was removed from the name, and the place became La, simple and beautiful. All our districts have Ghanaian names, such as Asuogyaman, Kwaebibirem, Sekyere, Nadowli etc. So, informed by this, sometime last week, when I was asked to speak on our cultural tourism at the Asante Regional Policy Fair, I brought up the suggestion that the geographic English names given to our regions do not inspire confidence, are not Ghanaian, and do not in any way support our cultural tourism drive. If we choose to call our regions by compass point names like Western, Upper East, Central etc., what would outsiders think about us, especially, when in 1957 we chose to change from Gold Coast to Ghana?

A few years ago, I was one of some 40 conservation officials from Africa and Europe meeting in a national park in Uganda, when we were told by the programme organisers that President Yoweri Museveni would come to close the conference with an address. I tell you, we did enjoy the President's address. Indeed, it was not an address, but a brilliant lecture to prove to us that 'there is no way that conservation and poverty can co-exist'; when the people are poor, they will exploit nature.' However, before launching himself into the lecture, the President dwelt on the fact that the English gave only long descriptive names to our wildlife species, instead of adopting one-word African names. For example, a bird called plantain-eater does not even eat plantain. Our own 'apatupre' is called by the unbelievable name of 'common garden bulbul'. He said that the English went so far with naming things that they gave a name to the front of the head, 'forehead' but forgot to find one for the back of the head.

After the President's lecture, we had to go out to have a group picture with him, and being a short guy, I was herded to the front to find myself beside the President! Looking at me he asked,

'Where you come from?'
I told him Ghana, and then he asked, which part? When I replied 'Asante', the President surprised me by asking, 'Why Asante and not Ashanti?'

'Your Excellency,' I told him, 'Just like you were telling us back in the conference room about names, 'Ashanti' is the colonial spelling, with 'Asante' as the Ghanaian spelling.

It didn't end there until the President told us that in their part of the world, Asante means, Thank you.

Coming back to Ghana, I tested this on some school children, to choose between Asante and Ashanti, which they would most prefer. They were unanimous on the former. I also began pondering why we are still stuck with colonial names for most of our regions, as if we cannot have our own names for them. We have a glorious history and beautiful geography to choose regional names from. I have broached this matter with some friends too, making them all know at the outset that I am making this suggestion for the names of our regions to be Ghanaianised, mostly from the perspective of pursuing the development of cultural tourism as a lead product for Ghana.

My only friend who disagreed, insisted that local names for our regions may be difficult for tourists to pronounce. We are not suggesting Ghanaian names solely for cultural tourism characteristics, but also to install national pride and the knowledge that our local areas are no longer called by compass point names, but names honouring our heroes, proclaiming our cultural heritage, and being culturally authentic. If pronunciation was a good point against the change of regional names, then tourists would bite their tongues about names from Madagascar and Poland, not to mention South Africa. TIMBUCTOO has become a sustainable marketing brand for Mali, because IN TOURISM, 'everybody wants to go to TIM-BUC-TOO'. Indeed, the 'wilder', more native the name, the more it excites tourism. LLANFANPWYLLGOG is a small community in Wales. Tourists go there, for among other reasons, to take a picture with the town's name at the railway station.

We need to replace the names for our regions bearing only geographical tags. And we, as a people, need to have a healthy debate on what names to select. These regions are the Upper West, Upper East, Northern, Eastern, Central, Western and Greater Accra. Places all over the world, and, especially in Ghana, are named after illustrious persons from history, if you have heard of Kwamekrom, or Koforidua [Koo Ofori] etc. They are alsonamed after natural features like mountains, lakes, riversetc., such as Volta, Aframso, Bepoase, Duase. Of course, a region's name may suggest the ethnic character, such as Brong Ahafo and Asante. I want to remind us that a national debate on this issue must be devoid of ethnic, political and emotional positioning. We want to add to our cultural pride, and debates should be conducted with laughter and happiness, since we are all helping to do an unanimously-agreed national cultural agenda.

If I have raised this issue, I am sure I am expected to make some suggestions.  Before I do so, I am telling you some funny thing about the wrongness of a name like Central Region. The region has no business to be called Central, because it has no centrality. It has three regions to its east, and only one to its west. If any region should be called central, it should be the present Greater Accra, or, Asante. Talking of our geography from old, too, we have two east[ern]regions, Upper East and the 'real' Eastern Region.  A fourteen-year-old bright boy participating in this debate, thinking tourism and business, also suggested that anyone googling Asante, Ahafo, Brong or Volta, would come up with concise answers, whereas mere eastern, western or northern, would yield no answers.

I have been asking questions around about what name we should suggest for the Greater Accra Region, and I was astonished to see some good thinking. We should call the Greater Accra Region, the 'palace' region, MANJANO.  The name Manjano Region suggests that the nation's head, or palace, the Presidency, is hosted by this region. For Eastern and Western Regions, if we search and search, and 'impossibly' come up within no names, then we can, at the bottom of the scale, name them respectively, APUEYE and ATOYE Regions. But, we definitely, will get historical names. A friend suggested MEPOMNEBOOM Region for Eastern, mountains and valleys. Change the spelling of NKOKOO while you are at it. My Sociologist friend from the Western Region tried to make music by making a name from the ethnic groups, and returned with, AHANZEWASE Region; from Ahanta, Nzema, Wassaw and Sefwi. But, what do we do with the Aowins? Unless we have AHANZEWASEA. If we do not like this rather nice Nzema-sounding name, then may we call the region EGUDZE REGION, minerals. Yep!

I read a lot of northern history, since I grew up in part there. I read that 'all' the peoples of the three northern regions come from the loins of three great ancestral leaders, TOHAZIE, ZIRILE and NAAGBEWAA in different periods. I think these are great names that we would be proud to say, instead of colonial geography-inspired names. Personally, I think we can have a SAVANNAH REGION, or BAOBAB REGION. Any of our northern regions may also be given a local name meaning, LANDSCAPE. What about ELEPHANT region for Northern Region? It is the only region with our remaining viable elephant population. The name would place a burden on the region and central government to ensure that the elephants of Ghana are protected for the future, and promote Ghana's tourism.  The Central Region, surprisingly, proved difficult. So we found a name from the Fante Confederacy of ancient times. The Fante Confederacy was headed by a member elected by an electoral college to lead for two years. His title was ATAALA. So we get Ataala Region, otherwise, something suggesting the forts and castles, ABANDZEN Region, not Abandze. What about POSUBAN Region?

Just yesterday, I heard on the radio that street naming was going to recommence. Driving around Kumasi anytime makes me happy knowing that I would never tire reading the names of even living people for streets. My humble suggestion should be taken as an academic exercise for the time being, so that we do not raise ethnic, political and emotional stresses for our culturally right society. But, change the names we must. We must give Ghanaian names to our regions.

Tourism Consultant / Lecturer, Zenith University College
e-mail: tourismconceepts@ymail.com

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