A Rose by any other name...

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”- William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet.

Shakespeare contends a name is merely a label. Who you are is who you are , no matter what label you’re given. The essence of a thing/person is independent of its title.

I bring my cultural perspective to this.

To an African, Nigerian, Yoruba to be precise, a name is more than a label attached to who you are.

You carry more than your essence. You carry the hopes, history and aspirations of those who have gone before him you, those who walk alongside you (and these are many, extending beyond the physical into the spiritual), and those who will come after you.

These names are more than a collection of syllables. A name can be a prayer, a historical record, a declaration of faith or a statement about the circumstances into which you were born.

To the Yoruba, a name can carry power, affirmation and, above all, serve as a map to the individual who bears it.

A rose may remain a rose by any other name and smell just as sweet, but a name can mean and add so much more to the person who carries it.

Romeo may not have cared that Juliet was a Capulet but their families did.

Yoruba people often say, “Orúkọ ńi rọ ni”, loosely meaning your name influences and shapes a person’s character.

And that, is a worthwhile reflection.

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