[Opinions] Re: naming law
in reply to a message by Francisinfp5w4
There are no naming laws as such in South Africa. A child's birth must be registered, given name and surname must appear on the birth certificate, and that's it. Indigenous languages often don't distinguish between ordinary words and personal names. Afrikaans-speaking South Africans used to feel free to give their children politically meaningful names, but that custom seems to have died out. An example: in the late 19th century, diamonds and gold were discovered in inland South Africa, mostly inhabited by Afrikaans farmers who needed enormous farms for their stock; not enough water to grow most crops. Of course, they employed black South Africans and paid very small wages. The coastal provinces were British colonies; naturally, the British government wanted to get its hands on the gold, tried by peaceful means which the Afrikaans people understood perfectly and decided to fight. There was only ever going to be one winner ... the men would be off fighting, leaving their women and children at home, where the British troops rounded them up and put them into concentration camps so that they couldn't provide supplies for their soldiers. The camps were surrouded by barbed wire, in Afrikaans 'doringdraad', and some little girls born in these camps were given political names, one of the worst being Doringdraadina. This was allowed, but would never be used today: its time has passed. There were other similar names, but I've lost my list!
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Thank you.