In the complex and diverse world of linguistics, a prominent voice has recently risen to address a topic of great importance: the appropriation of names and languages in African society. Professor Mpunga wa Ilunga, a specialist in African linguistics, captivated her audience at a lecture entitled “How to be Black in the Names and Languages of Others?” in Ngandajika, Democratic Republic of Congo.
The professor’s impassioned speech shed light on a little-explored but crucial aspect of African identity: names and languages as pillars of culture and dignity. She pointed to the troubling phenomenon of the appropriation of others’ names, an act she called a “bomb of mass destruction” and a “serious handicap” for the African community.
Through her vibrant words, the professor called for a collective awareness, inviting her compatriots to free themselves from the grip of foreign names and languages to fully appropriate their own dignity. She emphasized the deep connection between the name and the individual, affirming that to deliver one’s name is to deliver oneself entirely, to reveal oneself through a rich and meaningful cultural heritage.
Challenging the flight of ancestral names and traditions in favor of those of others, the professor warned against the loss of identity and values that results. She urged her audience to reconnect with tradition, celebrate the richness of indigenous names and reappropriate their plural and vibrant cultural heritage.
Concluding her enlightening intervention, Professor Mpunga wa Ilunga eloquently recalled that the name of colonized peoples marked them as the property of the West, thus emphasizing the urgency and necessity of carefully choosing the names transmitted to future generations.
Through her powerful words and bold vision, Professor Mpunga wa Ilunga opened a window into an essential and exciting debate, reminding everyone that names and languages are more than words: they are the vehicles of collective memory, the guardians of identity and the witnesses of history.