Hi my name is ________

Names are very personal. Whether we like our names or not they become a part of our identity. They can affect how others see and relate to us, sometimes reflecting our age or comparing us to other’s of the same name.

I am not Laura in Botswana.

Not many people here know my English name. I like it that way. It gives me a sense of anonymity when I am anything but anonymous. Mentally, it allows me to compartmentalize parts of my life. In the village I am Kefilwe. I am positive, always willing to help or volunteer, somewhat chatty and full of questions, and often seen as strange but mystifying.

Names are anything but simple in Botswana. Rather than choosing a combination of letters for how they sound, or passing names on through generations, Batswana name their children with sentences. Yes. Sentences. Or possibly characteristics and sometimes surprisingly random English names. Imagine someone being called “Iamhappy.” No doubt, Batswana names are fascinating.

Take my name: Kefilwe. In Setswana it is a combination of words creating the phrase “I have been given.” Ke (I) – Filwe (past tense of the verb “to give”). As many of us fledgling volunteers were awkwardly sitting in our host family’s living rooms our first night in Serowe, we were granted these names. Because of our sudden appearance into these families, many PCV names relate to gifts: Neo, Mpho, Kefilwe, Refilwe.

Many parents name their children based on what is happening at the moment of their birth. If it is raining they might name their child Motlalepula (one who brings rain) or after giving birth the self-explanatory Kelapile (I am tired) or the simple Otsile (he has come). If they have only had girls they can name their child Mosetsanagape (girl again)… or the even more interesting Barulaganye (they come immediately one after the other) and correspondingly Gadifele (this will never end).

There are many that highlight the difficulties of giving birth and general frustrations of life: Keikanyemang (who should I trust), Didimalang (be quiet), Goitsemang (who knows), Kenosi (I am alone), Kibibonye (I’ve seen it all), and the very apt Keboletse (I told you so)

Others are named for the hope of what they might become: Kgosi (chief), Moagi (builder), Mogotsi (fire builder), Mothusi (a helper).

Some Setswana names can be quite the mouthful: Goitsemodimo (God knows), Resegotetse (we are blessed), and Kelebogile (I am thankful).

Some simply represent life’s simple pleasures: Boitumelo (happiness), Botshelo (life), Lesego (luck), Kagiso (peace), Tshepo (trust).

….Then there are the English names. Babies come into the clinic everyday to get weighed. I take the greatest pleasure in seeing the strange combinations of English/Setswana translations and random English names that pop up. Everything from Princess, Memory, Comfort, Beauty, to names like Ralph, Helen, Boyboy, Dorcus, and my all-time favorites Economy and Enrique

My favorite ice-breaker when meeting a new Motswana is to ask them what their name means and with such variety these names never fail to amuse me. Names can form your identity, but in Botswana they say so much more.

Even the coke names have Setswana names!