A Culturally Healthy African Should Have an African Name

My Name is Kunta Kente (7 Min)

As Malcolm X said, What is your name? Where did you get it from? Has someone made you say your name is Toby! After watching this clip all should understand the planed and successful Cultural Poisoning associated with a name. As most African Americans I was given a name from a non-African ethnic group. I lived most of the first half of my life with a European American name. The Nation of Islam was the first major African American organization to effectively start to correct this aspect of Cultural Poisoning known as Image Poisoning. The “X”, in Malcolm X, is widely known in this regard. Members of this group typically took on Arab names not African Names. However, this was a positive step on the road to Cultural Health insofar as they discarded their “slave” names.

Many African Americans who did not want to become Muslim and generally remained Culturally Illiterate but gaining in Cultural Health, utilized their new Black pride to invent African sounding names like Tiesia, Tiquanda and Ushika. Interestingly this remarkably unique American naming system was gifted mainly to the females of our group. The next stage was giving our children actual traditional African names like Kori and Seti that have a meaning.

As African Traditional Religions (ATR) where resurrected, full African naming systems and traditional naming rituals we restored to those who were maximizing their return to Cultural Health. I am proud to say that I have reversed Toby Syndrome as part of the cure for my own image poisoning. My African name is Nuu Maat Aunk (teacher of truth about the keys to life). Most of my friends know me as Aunk. My writing name is Rudy Aunk this is done to make pronunciation and remembering my name easy on my fellow Americans, in the same way my Asian American friends make their names easy on me, with names like Daisy Ding and John Lee that maintain their cultural integrity.

Let me close by expressing my pride in understanding that while I initially gave all my children European Names, I in my later life give, them each at least one African name in the great tradition of Classical African Civilization. I also note that most of my grandchildren have been given at least one non-European name by their parents.

If your name is Toby, you should consider a 21^st Century Cultural Health adjustment.

P.S. in case you think this is just history. Listen to the screams of someone being tasered today. The electronic whip of the anti-humanist is alive and well in jails, courts and on American Streets.