A Black Perspective

What was it about the imperial British that made them think whilst taking a stroll along a beach or a mountainous region thousands of mile away from England, on a different continent, a place of outstanding , jaw dropping beauty,

” what a wonderous view, I think I’ll name it after the King or Queen or better still after myself”.

How did this  brazen, arrogant, cultural misappropriation of objects and places of outstanding beauty come about not to mention the criminal re- branding of these objects and places all packaged and rubber stamped with the British seal of approval.

And if we believe this criminal re- branding to be organised theft from people whose roles have been that of caretakers for thousands of years why do we continue to refer to these places by their stolen names?

Mount Everest.

Named by the Royal geographical society in 1856 despite the fact that the Nepalise and Chinese people had referred to it has; “Sagarmatha” and “Chomolungma” respectively since the dawn of time.

Victoria Falls.

Named by Doctor David Livingston after Queen Victoria, despite the fact that it’s real name ;

” Mosi – Oa Tunya” ( The smoke that thunders) had been used for thousands of years by the local people of Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Lake Victoria

Named after Queen Victoria by John Hanning Speke the explorer.

Real name; ” Nam Lolwe in Luo”, “Nalubaale” in Luganda, and “Nyanza” in Kinyarwanda and some other Bantu languages.

Adelaide

The Australian region of Adelaide was named after

Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, Queen consort and spouse of

William IV and Queen of the U.K. The indigenous Kaurna people occupied the land and see it as their ancestral home.

The Kaurna people are still pursuing the right to reclaim their land and re-name it according to their cultural and historical traditions.

Mount McKinley.

Denali is the name given to the mountainous region by the Koyukan people of Alaska who have lived in the region since records began. Moves to have the original name restored have been blocked by congressmen from Ohio where president McKingley came from.

To a growing number of people around the world this re- branding of any place of importance or of outstanding beauty seems like a attempt to remake the world in a white British image and airbrush the indigenous people, their culture and beliefs out of the picture. By continuing to refer to these places in westernised terms we are giving credence to the racism and attitudes of the past and denying our children the right to develope a gainful insight into these people and their cultural beliefs.

Perhaps it is now time to re- write history and correct the sleight given to these indigenous people whose historical claims to these wonderous regions carries with it the right to instruct westerners on the names, culture and mythology behind them.