ALINGA, technically, is my first name. It is the name I was given first when I was borne and which roots me within my parent’s household and my paternal lineage.
ALINGA, appears third on my birth certificate, after my two ‘Christian Names’ of Biblical origin.
ALINGA, appears nowhere on my academic documentation and my other legal documentation, because my late papa silenced it when he registered me for school. He included my first name and his name, the family name.
ALINGA is the name of my late paternal grandmother, my tata. This in itself is special to me and from which I derive significant cultural capital.
ALINGA is the name I am called within the geography of our ancestral home. If you go there looking for me, without knowing it, you may find it a challenge to get the right directions.
ALINGA means a beautiful, clean and tidy woman. I would like to think that I live up to to my silent middle name as my tata absolutely did.
Happy Women’s Day!
I think you will find “A POEM ABOUT THE MEANING OF OUR NAMES” an interesting read too. CLICK HERE TO READ.
Humanist 
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