The government of South Africa is casting a reformist eye to country’s place names. They are too white.
Residents of Pretoria, named after an early war hero of the white Afrikaners who later invented apartheid, won a battle last year to keep the capital city’s name on the map, albeit as part of a broader metropolitan area called Tshwane.
Next year those towns celebrating British royalty and other figures will be under scrutiny, and several may face the chop.
Two that look set to go are the industrial city of Port Elizabeth, named after the wife of a Cape Colony governor, and George, a sleepy town on the south coast, more famous for its lush golf courses than the English king to whom it pays homage.
National Geographical Names Council chairman Tommy Ntsewa said: “Personally, I would support such a move, because why should we be honouring King George? For what? For colonising us?”
These problems are an inevitable consequence of the march of human progress and politics – coupled with more recently acquired sensitivites to the politically incorrect, place names are going to be a perpetual source of irritation. The ribbon-cutting celebration opening “Winnie Wharf” today may well become the offensive Port Elizabeth of tomorrow. And as we are coming to understand, the right of future citizens not to be offended ought to be enshrined in law.
On the practical side, though, ad hoc renaming of cities, towns and rivers is likely to be a cumbersome and contentious process. To address this, we should apply a sunset clause to all place names, so that they will automatically expire at set intervals. This way, each new political generation can respond more efficiently to those most recently insulted by the historical fact of their choosing.
Similiarly, I still cannot in good conscience call Saigon, Vietnam by any other name. Nevermind what the current government want it to be call.
Even redneck Alberta had this occur a few years ago. I believe they changed the name of “Seven Chinamen” to “Seven Persons”. Too racist apparently. There were several other name changes done in the name of political correctness too.
Does it really matter who Port Elizabeth is named after? Elizabeth is a common name. Same with George. I believe this is just the start of the LLL’s to “forget” history they don’t like, and then a few years later revise history to their liking. Once their “new history” becomes commonly accepted in the media and general public, they get a friendly prof to write a new history book for the school kids and the left-leaning government education departments support it’s inclusion into the curriculum (sp?). Voila! A new history that is believed by young kids who now think their parents must be old-fashioned and racist for believing otherwise.
Oops! You got me started on a rant. Sorry!
“Even redneck Alberta had this occur a few years ago.”
Yes, but we still have Blackie. 🙂
Actually, the last I’d heard was that Chinaman’s Peak retained that name, while gaining an unofficial Indian name and a designation using the proper name of the “Chinaman” in question. How wishy-washy is that? Group hug, everyone! We’re all included.
Changing place names with the ebb and flow of political fortune — e.g., St. Petersburg to Petrograd to Leningrad to St. Petersburg — simply emphasises the transience of the current regime rather than effectively rewriting history.
One notes idlely that recently it mostly seems to be the flippin’ communists and socialists who are dead keen on the pernicious tendency of “erasing history” by changing names.
In fairness, I’m not impressed with changing the name Berlin(?) to Waterloo for that town in Ontario, circa WWI, either. Or Dorchester Ave becoming Rene Levesque (shudder) in Montreal.
In this (SA) case, it’s just egregious, the pre-existing populations (such as they were) had not even villages of note at these places that were supplanted. So effectively the names were given ex-nihilo to places.
Simple vindictiveness to change them.
Create your own stupid streets and towns to name, wankers and demagogues.
Actually, I’ve started to think about “Delisle” and the fact that it has a suspiciously French-like pronunciation….
Things must be getting pretty bad in South Africa.
Closer to home, another couple of economic basket cases have been having a go at place names as a last resort:
Newfoundland -> Newfoundland and Labrador (save our “birthright” from the French)
Hull -> Gatineau (save our “birthright” from the English)
Fred, the town you are thinking of is Kitchener, Ontario. It was originally called Berlin and had a large ethnic German population. During World War I it was the target of anti-German sentiment and it came under pressure to change its name in order to show its loyalty to Canada in the war. In 1916 the town changed its name to the present Kitchener, thereby honoring a recently deceased British general.
Thanks Joe, for the correction, it was on the tip of my tongue (fingers?) as one of those particularly stupid wartime excesses I recalled. I guessed wrong.
While on this annoying subject, may we go back to Burma?
The north american west is full of French names, that have been anglified in pronounciation, but amusing reminders of the various Frenchmen & Coureur des Bois visiting the pays d’en haut, and points west, to see what there was to see, and try to make a buck. (A remarkable number, considering the relatively few people involved.)
e.g.
Fond du Lac (bottom of the Lake, Sask)
The Coteau (and area south of lovely Delisle (ok Dinsmore, really )and north west of Demaine, Sask.)
Nez Perce (Peirced noses, some tribe)
Boise (Forested)
Coeur d’Alene (Heart of the Awl, apparently a French joke refering to the pointed trading skills of the local indians) a place, a tribe, Utah)
Grand Teton (Big tit’s. God forbid someone take official notice of that one. )
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