The Etymology of African Names: The Bafaw Example

The focus of this book is about the etymology of African names and the principal concern is the origins of Bafaw names and the significanse of the naming ceremony in Bafaw culture. We believe that by identifying the origins and significance of Bafaw names as part of a greater dynamics in the preservation and conservation of African culture, the history of African communities can be written. Several themes in African history have been developed for the establishment of a coherent story about African cultures and civilization including migrations and tribal conflicts, social ideologies of African ¿tribes¿, socio-political indigenous African institutions and the origins of African tribal communities, their languages and genealogies. In all of these the emphasis is about African culture and civilization. They describe the different aspects of African cultural heritage, thereby underlining how and why Africans are different from other world communities.