Indeed there are people who are endowed with names that make it difficult. It can happen anywhere. But, in Zambia, journalist Chris Haslam found a huge selection of names that were very shocking.
Under the darkening sky, the streets are dusty and dusty, a boy struggling to pedal a big Chinese bicycle laden with yellow jerry cans, a pile of firewood and a bag of rice.
The boy had to keep his bicycle upright, so he could not get rid of the fly perched on his eyes. But the seven-year-old boy was carrying a much heavier but less visible burden.
The boy's name is Mulangani. It's a Nguni word that means 'punish me.' Or in the more official 'he who should be punished.' Who, who gave such a terrible name to the child, I asked Mavuto, the driver who took me.
"Maybe his grandfather, or he could be a village chief," he said with a shrug. He explained that in Zambia and neighboring Zimbabwe, many parents, especially in rural areas, asked community leaders to choose a name for their newborn baby."Sometimes the village head wants to punish the family," Mavuto said. "Or maybe he thought the newborn child was a burden too heavy for his parents."
Watching the boy with his seemingly innocent Sisyphus's efforts toward his far-away home, the name was disturbing to the mind, but in fact he was not the only one cursed with a bad name.
A few days later, I met Chilumba which means 'my brother's grave,' Balaudye - 'I will be eaten,' Soca - 'bad luck,' and Chakufwa - 'dead.'
I also met Daliso, whose name means 'blessing' and Chikondi, which means 'love.' Maybe this is just my mind, but they seem to be happier.
"In African culture, there is a tendency to give children names tailored to the conditions they were born with," said Clare Mulkenga-Chilambo, a nurse from the Zambia children's agency SOS Children's Villages.
"It's great for kids born in happy and cheerful times, but some are less fortunate to be born when they get into trouble."