The Yoruba believe that names by which men are identified, are having behind them, some environmental, sociological and psychological details, the purport and the meanings of which tend to give bearers of the names some premise and destiny upon which to actualise their visions in life.
But the belief among Africans seems to be rife that the western world attaches no significance to names, arguing that parents in that part of the world are fond of giving bombastic names to their children, calling and associating them with odd names like “Bomboy” and Cowboy .
The belief is that such labels are curses or “yokes”, delicately hung on their children and that when curses behind such names begin to manifest later in life, “the boy named “Bomboy” begins to unleash a bombshell of crimes on society while the one named Cowboy begins to behave like mad cows; and that it is then and only then that the western world would begin to realise (though too late) that there is much to a name after all.
This, definitely, are the views which folketymologists have concerning names, giving arbitrary meanings to tones or patterns which names sound out.
Some western scholars who are also in the same shoes often believe that Africans are making a “fuss” out of names. They seem to be echoing the voice of the legend, William Shakespeare who (as if speaking for Western culture) in his book, “Romeo and Juliet” asked: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
It’s all very well but it was not for fun that one of the assignments God gave the first man on earth, Adam, was to give names to all animals. From the divine assignment which he also extended to his wife, it was clear (and it’s still clear till today) that name is the abridged biography of its bearer.
The adoption of traditional or cultural hats without understanding their significance can lead to cultural appropriation and misunderstandings.
Names are often misunderstood
But it is clear that even behind the names in western culture (as it is in African culture) are a lot of background information concerning the trade identified by the family of the bearer of such names.
According to the author of “Yoruba Names”, Modupe Oduyoye, “It was, as it used to be in England:” every Smith (as a name) was close to the Smithy; every Manson came from a family of builders; every Carpenter was connected with that trade. It is the same thing with great names such as Ford family who takes their names from their manufacturing industry.
The idea of misunderstanding what names truly connote has been ageless, even dating back to Bible period. For instance, most Christians often look at the name, “Jeremiah” as a person who personifies lamentation, no doubt why a lamenting and denunciatory complaint is called a “jeremiad”.
It is however true that Chief Obafemi Awolowo, a politician popularly described as: “The best president Nigeria never had” suffered different political persecutions in his bid to become Nigeria’s president.
He was jailed even as he was a man full of different political vicissitudes, having suffered betrayals among his political adversaries as well as from his loyalists while Nigeria failed him over and over by humbling him at the polls .
It was then rumoured that, for the many disappointments he faced, he justified his decision to renounce his baptismal name, “Jeremiah”, ostensibly, wanting to have nothing to do with what the baptismal name negatively connotes.
However, details gleaned from his autobiography confirmed that he actually dropped his Christian name, “Jeremiah”. The rejection of Jeremiah was however his own way of renunciation of colonial legacy which he felt the name represented and opted to embracing African identity, having lived the rest of his life thereafter committed to Nigerian nationalism and desire to promote African values.
As it is with names, so it is with hats
Hats have been worn for thousands of years, serving various purposes both in ancient and modern cultures. Originally, hats of various shapes, shades and sizes were worn for the protection of the heads of the wearers, but as fashion itself developed, breeding humane-ness in men, through exploring contours of the human body, hats equally began to give expression to the culture and mindsets of the wearers in different dimensions by which they express their personalities, styles, ideological, sociological and philosophical frames.
From Abraham Lincoln’s iconic top hat in America to Winston Churchill’s signature Homburg hat in Britain, Germany’s Adolf Hitler’s infamous stovepipe hat, China’s Deng Xiaoping’s practical yet symbolic sun hat, and Africa’s Nelson Mandela’s vibrant traditional headwear, hats have become indelible symbols of these leaders’ personal brands. Each hat has played a significant role in conveying and propagating their distinct political, ideological, and philosophical beliefs, values, and tenets, forever etching their images in history.
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In Nigeria, the caps and hats of great and notable politicians and leaders are adorned with symbolic feathers, reflecting their ideological leanings and schools of thought. From Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe’s traditional Igbo attire, complete with a bowler hat that showcased his cultural heritage during the pre-independence era, to Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s distinctive roundish hat that embodied his philosophy of egalitarianism, known as Awoism, other notable leaders such as Alhaji Shehu Shagari, donned the “Hilltop” brand hat, symbolizing his “Ethical Revolution.” Each of these leaders’ headwear served as a powerful symbol of their cultural identity, leadership style, and personal brand.
Fire brand politician and Deputy Premier of the defunct Western Region of Nigeria, handsome Fani Kayode, branded his own political hat, often flexibly contoured to frontal audacity, as “Fani Power”. He was always attracting loud ovation at campaign grounds with his “Power” hat .
In the wake of the third republic new breed politicians were not left out of the game, with the Governor of Osun State, Alhaji Isiaka Adeleke, growing his own political branding after his “Salake hat ” which told volumes about his axe-head style of tilting the construction of the hat in the angle of ferocity that was believed to having the power of assaulting opposition to submission and that was why his teeming supporters named him “Serubawon”.
His younger brother, Asiwaju of Ede, Governor Ademola Jackson Adeleke, has not allowed mounting opposition against him to take thunder from the axe-head of his brother’s brand (Salake), as he brought colour to it as he often wears the same style proudly while matching it with his “palongo”-like zigzag dancing steps.
The hats of politicians and leaders were more than just fashion statements; they were visual representations of their values, beliefs, and ideologies. By embracing their cultural heritage through their attire, these leaders demonstrated their commitment to their roots and their visions for their states and Nigeria.
Great hats are also misunderstood
There are cases where the significance of hats and what they represent are engrossed in inanities with their meanings lost in translation or misinterpreted and deliberately twisted out of context by outsiders, particularly political opponents.
Modern society often prioritizes fashion trends over cultural or historical significance, leading to misunderstandings about the essence of hats.
The adoption of traditional or cultural hats without understanding their significance can lead to cultural appropriation and misunderstandings. Modern society may misinterpret the symbolism behind certain hats, such as confusing a cultural or traditional hat with a fashion statement. Hats and names to them can be closely tied to their identities and misunderstandings about their significance while leading to misunderstandings about their persons themselves.
My concluding series would here address those who threw their hats in the fray and the origin of the Bourdillion hats by which signatures most of our frontline politicians in Nigeria are defined.
Just thinking aloud.
