We invite submission of personal and place memoirs for the second special issue of The Nairobi Reader to be published in December 2021.
Category: Special Issues
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Decolonising the Mind is a Pyrrhic Debate
The love for nativism is nothing more than scholars falling over themselves in attempts to outdo one another in throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
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No One—Not Anything—Needs a Name
Yes, we can be without labels. We already are. Unnaming cannot take anything away from us. We can live outside our names. We are bigger than our names.
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Let’s Erase Colonial Names from our Natural and Cultural Heritages
Our glorification of European names for our natural and cultural monuments reeks of colonial hangover.
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In the Name of…: Names as Spirit Carriers
The supremacy of each is therefore in the influence of their names, not documented deeds with little supportive evidence nor the delayed promises of second comings.
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The Place of Indigenous African Names in Black Consciousness
It is time we probed the cultural significance of the names we give our children. My suggestion is premised upon my observation of how anxious the modern African parent is in giving their children names with no traces to the African heritage.
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Anthroponymy and Toponymy: Culture and Politics in Kenya’s Personal and Place Names
Naming is a powerful indicator and creator of identity and social stratification, as well as location of bodies in a society.
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Public Spaces, Private Persons: Naming Sports Facilities in Honour of Individuals
Why we name public spaces after particular individuals should be easy to explain. It is to recognise their achievements and to ensure that their good example is not forgotten and that it serves as an inspiration to successor generations.
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The Art of Naming and the Symbolism of Life and Death in Names
The rhythm created by the syllables of your name determines whether the world will consider you worthy of life. It is a fact that few-lettered names like Apa, Mao and Moi have a strong presence in our memories while long ones disadvantage their bearers.
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Changing your Name without Changing the gods of your Parents
The curiosity of finding out the meaning of my ‘Christian’ name and its biblical roots began at an early age, prompted by my father’s strictness on religious discipline.
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