I just met a man...

3/5/2012

Who called his son Kunta Kinte Ali (all first names). He's a Southern European married to a West African.

Any thoughts on the name choice?

p.s. I am yet to watch Roots, all I know is that when the barber in Coming to America referred to Eddie Murphy as Kunta, it was derogatory.

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7 Comments

Harry

3/5/2012 06:54:31 am

That certainly deserves watching...

Reena

3/5/2012 03:22:03 pm

Heather, you should definitely watch the film...or better still read the book. Kunta may have been used in a derogatory manner in "Coming to America" but he was in my view, a great character in the book.

El B

3/5/2012 04:11:52 pm

Watch Roots - it might well change your mind. It's a but like calling your kid Martin Luther.

JKP

3/5/2012 04:12:17 pm

Maybe his point was a point of pride? Pride in his roots!

3/5/2012 04:14:06 pm

Well, I wouldn't name my child kunta but hey, that's not the point. It all really does depend on how you look at it and what Kunta symbolises.

Yes, he was a slave but he was also a proud man who never forgot his roots (excuse the pun). He stood for what he believed in, as much as one can as a slave really. And apparently, he was some relative of Alex Haley until he admitted that the book wasn't entirely factual, not sure which parts if any were based on facts, I believe he called it "faction". I think in "coming to america" it was more of coming from africa thing than an insult as such.

Anyway, watch it if you can stomach it now. I watched the series ages ago and it was long!! As for the book, the size was too daunting but since I hear you're on an audio book mission, maybe you can get an audio version and listen to it for like forever.

Reena

3/5/2012 04:14:52 pm

hmm I read the book when I was about 14 (at KA). Absolutely loved it. I wouldn't choose the name for my child but I guess it's better than calling your child "Superman" or "Apple".

Quarwoh

25/5/2012 05:38:29 pm

The Irony of this is very funny yet questionable.(lol) It's honorable that this European man wants to give his son an African name but why Kunta Kente? I can only think of two reasons: either he is trying to symbolically give his son his identity back as an African since it was taken away by his ancestors centuries ago or he's beating the shit out of him in private while calling TOBY! (lol)
Jokes aside, Heather my dear, U need to watch Roots or read the book. but before you do, let me share what I took from it. You see, the essence of the character's name Kunta Kente was about his struggle to give up his identity as an African, eventhough he was a slave in a foreign land. See this was a man whom everything had been stripped away from - his culture, language, religion, his essence as a human being and forced to deny everything that he was. So His fight to not give up his name was not only about pride but a symbol that said you may have me physically as a slave but mentally and spiritually, I am Kunta Kente.
The name of a person is his/her essence. It tells everyone who they are, what they are, their personalities, or the type of person they might even grow up to become. So for Kunta, giving up his name in the story meant giving up his Roots, his source, his spirit. And like the saying goes ' a person with no history is like a tree with no roots and a person with no history is a person that is lost.'
So my friend(s) be grateful if you have ethnic names, they are powerful and unique than your European names. Embrace it, I have!

I just met a man...

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By Heather Katsonga-Woodward