Ɔtwerɛfoɔ: Vennisa Owusu-Barfi

Hear it spoken!

Yɛfrɛ me Kwame Nsia. Me din som bo pa ara wɔ me ammamerɛ mu. Kwame gyina hɔ ma akɔda a yɛawo no mmemenda. Deɛ ɛka ho, yɛto akɔda din ‘Nsia’ ara a, agyina hɔ ma akɔda a ɔtɔ so nsia wɔ n’abusua mu.

Ɛwɔ Akanman mu, edin gyina hɔ ma nneɛma bebree. Edin ka kyerɛ nnipa ɛda a yɛwoo wo, abusua a wofiri ne nneɛma a ɛsiieɛ mmerɛ a y3woo wo.

3no nti, y3nfa obi din enni agorɔ. Megyedi sɛ woasua ade foforɔ.

Sei na Akanfoɔ to din wɔ wɔn ammarereɛ mu:

Eda

3dwoada
3benada
Wukuada
Yawoada
Efiada
Memeneda
Kwasiada

Barima

Kwadwo/Kojo
Kwabena, Ebo
Kwaku/Kweku
Yaw
Kofi
Kwame
Kwasi/Kwesi

Obaa

Adwoa/Adjoa
Abena
Akua
Yaa
Afia/Afua/Efua
Ama
Akosua, Esi

Keywords/Vocabulary:

1. Som bo - is important

2. Ammamerɛ - Culture

3. gyina hɔ - stands for

4. enni agorɔ - to not joke/play around/disrespect

5. akɔda - child

Translation:

My name is Kwame Nsia. My name means a lot in my culture. Kwame stands for a child born on Saturday. In addition, when a child is called ‘Nsia’, it tells us that the child is the sixth child in the family.

In Akan culture, names can signify many things. Names inform people of the day you were born, the family you’re from and the circumstances of your birth.

Therefore, names are not to be taken for granted. I hope you learnt something new.

This is how Akans are named:

Day

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

Male

Kwadwo/Kojo
Kwabena, Ebo
Kwaku/Kweku
Yaw
Kofi
Kwame
Kwasi/Kwesi

Female

Adwoa/Adjoa
Abena
Akua
Yaa
Afia/Afua/Efua
Ama
Akosua, Esi