What is your Fante Name?
Ghana is a country in Africa. At school, the children learn English, but there are lots of local languages in Ghana. This means that people speak different languages in different parts of Ghana. In part of southern Ghana, a language called Fante is spoken. The people there also have Fante names as well as English ones. These children, Elizabeth and Nelson, from Ghana will explain more.
“Hello! My name is Elizabeth. I am six years old. I live in an orphanage, near the town of Cape Coast, in Ghana. My Fante name is Adwoa. You say it like this: Ad-ju-ah. Can you say that? Adwoa is my Fante name because I was born on a Monday. Your Fante name depends on the day of the week you were born on. “
“Hi, I’m Nelson. I am nearly seven years old and I live at the same orphanage as Elizabeth. My Fante name is Kodwo. It is pronounced Kod-jo. Can you say that? I was born on a Monday too. Like Elizabeth said, your Fante name depends on the day you were born on. There are two sets of Fante names – one for girls and one for boys. Can you find yours in the table below?”
Here is the table of Fante Names!
All the Fante names are pronounced as you would read them, except for ‘Adwoa’ and ‘Kodwo,’ but Elizabeth and Nelson have already told you how to say those names!
|
Day |
Girls’ |
Boys’ |
|
Monday |
Adwoa |
Kodwo |
|
Tuesday |
Abena |
Kobena |
|
Wednesday |
Ekua |
Kweku |
|
Thursday |
Aba |
Yaw |
|
Friday |
Efua |
Kofi |
|
Saturday |
Ama |
Kwamina |
|
Sunday |
Esi |
Kwesi |
The children at the orphanage always ask visitors what their Fante names are. Now you would be able to tell them what yours is!
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