Ama? No, The Name Is Awurama | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

Ama? No, The Name Is Awurama

“Give your daughters difficult names. Give your daughters names that command the full use of tongue. My name makes you want to tell me the truth."

179
Ama? No, The Name Is Awurama
Tumblr

My name has always been important to me. The first time I remember being aware of its relevance was in kindergarten when a teacher mentioned my entire name and complimented my father on the choice. My name, an ode to my Ghanaian side with its beautiful royal meaning. I liked my name regardless of the many name-changing-on-Facebook phases I went through and having finally owned myself, I appreciate it better.

Unfortunately, with my passport country being one where mistakes are the order of the day and people really do not mind them or bother to correct them, I found myself with my first name shortened. I became Ama instead of Awurama simply because the man at the passport office could not be bothered to type four more letters. Half of my name, my royal title and essentially a part of my identity was taken off.

The first time this mistake bothered me was around the age of 6 when a flight attendant assigned to me, announced my name over the P.A. system as Ama Agyei. I did not realize that I was the one being called on until after several attempts with no one showing up, she added a botched version of my middle name. Needless to say, she was surprised as to why I did not answer on the previous attempts but even six-year-old me knew better than to say "well that's not my name."

In the following 12 years, I had to mention different names at different times. I was Awurama at home with family, close friends and in school but Ama on some official documents. I was never okay with it but because I did not have that many people calling me Ama, I was able to ignore it. Starting college changed that. Here was a place where people actually referred to me by my passport name and Lord, did I want to punch a wall whenever it was mentioned. Who was this Ama person and how did she fit into my life? My complaints to family and my parents did nothing to help the situation as they saw it as no big deal. After all, they were not the ones being called a name they were not.

Falling into myself and discovering my identity recently, made me realize that I hate the code-switching. I hate being something in one place and having to reserve who I truly am for certain places. It is far too confusing and even if it wasn't, its just not me.

Another factor that irked me was that regardless of how the mistake came to be, we cannot deny that Ama is easier for most people to pronounce than Awurama is. Whether the passport official knew it or not, making my name Ama was a form of anglicization, and removing the Ghanaian ethnicity from it. When ordering at Starbucks or making reservations, saying and spelling Ama was easier for people than saying Awurama. Every time I began to say Awurama, a glance at the barista looking at me with confusion resulted in me just saying A-m-a to simplify the situation and save us both the time we don't have.

However, thinking on it, does it have to be so? Why can I not just say Awurama and have the barista politely ask to have it spell? How much more time would that take? Why do we feel much more comfortable making numerous variations to our orders, all of which take time by the way, than pronouncing or spelling out our actual names?

When someone messes up your name or never bothers to learn the right way to say it, it’s disrespectful, and I know this because I feel disrespected every time someone calls me Ama. When, on the other hand, you take the time to get someone’s name right, you honor them. The professors who took the time to actually learn to pronounce and spell my name as Awurama are my favorites because their efforts signify their respect and genuine interest in my life.

I don't need to have to explain to anyone why the name I am giving them is different from what is on an official document. That Ama person is only present by virtue of a mistake and is in no way me. My name is Awurama, it means Lady born on a Saturday and is my royal title as well. People are just going to learn to have to show their respect in addressing me as I prefer because I am done with code-switching.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
an image of taylor swift standing center stage surrounded by her backup dancers in elegant peacock esque outfits with a backdrop of clouds and a box rising above the stage the image captures the vibrant aesthetics and energy of her performance during the lover era of her eras tour
StableDiffusion

A three-and-a-half-hour runtime. Nine Eras. Eleven outfit changes. Three surprise songs. Zero breaks. One unforgettable evening. In the past century, no other performer has put on an electric performance quite like Taylor Swift, surpassing her fans ‘wildest dreams’. It is the reason supporters keep coming back to her shows each year. Days later, I’m still in awe of the spectacle ‘Miss Americana’ puts on every few days in a new city. And, like one of Taylor’s exes, has me smiling as I reminisce about the memories of the night we spent together.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

These powerful lyrics remind us how much good is inside each of us and that sometimes we are too blinded by our imperfections to see the other side of the coin, to see all of that good.

82914
Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

The song was sent to me late in the middle of the night. I was still awake enough to plug in my headphones and listen to it immediately. I always did this when my best friend sent me songs, never wasting a moment. She had sent a message with this one too, telling me it reminded her so much of both of us and what we have each been through in the past couple of months.

Keep Reading...Show less
Zodiac wheel with signs and symbols surrounding a central sun against a starry sky.

What's your sign? It's one of the first questions some of us are asked when approached by someone in a bar, at a party or even when having lunch with some of our friends. Astrology, for centuries, has been one of the largest phenomenons out there. There's a reason why many magazines and newspapers have a horoscope page, and there's also a reason why almost every bookstore or library has a section dedicated completely to astrology. Many of us could just be curious about why some of us act differently than others and whom we will get along with best, and others may just want to see if their sign does, in fact, match their personality.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

20 Song Lyrics To Put A Spring Into Your Instagram Captions

"On an island in the sun, We'll be playing and having fun"

9863
Person in front of neon musical instruments; glowing red and white lights.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash

Whenever I post a picture to Instagram, it takes me so long to come up with a caption. I want to be funny, clever, cute and direct all at the same time. It can be frustrating! So I just look for some online. I really like to find a song lyric that goes with my picture, I just feel like it gives the picture a certain vibe.

Here's a list of song lyrics that can go with any picture you want to post!

Keep Reading...Show less
Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.
WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments