Welcome Dede: An African Naming Ceremony

by Ifeoma Onyefulu

Amarlai has a new cousin - and he can't wait for her to be given a name. On the great day, the guests arrive, prayers are said, the corn wine is blessed and a tiny drop of wine is put on the baby's tongue as she is named. Gifts are offered, and the feasting and dancing begins. Everyone is happy, but Amarlai is happiest of at last his cousin has a name. Her name is Dede!

Genres: Africa, Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2003

Reviews

[Ch_ebonysmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A boy, Amarlai, has a new cousin. The only thing is that everyone just calls her "Baby". The reason is in this Nigerian village, the people wait eight days to give children their names. The little boy is curious as to way the child hasn't gotten her name yet. There is a whole process to consider a person's name. His uncle explains to him "a name is not something you give out like sweets,". "It is something you will carry all through your life...". The book carries us through the traditional baby ceremony. It is an interesting thing because in this culture, a person's name is so carefully considered. In the story, the boy's aunt was named Ayikai because she was the third daughter. His father's name was Amartai because he was the second son. His mother name was Ayeley because she was the first daughter.

The book is good to teach children about the traditions of this Nigerian culture. Cultural awareness is very important in the class and books such as this can be very useful to include in the library as well as for read alouds. The photos in the book are wonderful. The photos are of the boy's family and people in the village. The photos show the traditional markings on the people's faces and everything. Excellent pictures for an excellent book. This book would be good for young readers because of its simplicity, but anyone can enjoy this book because it tells about a very special tradition in an African village.

[Elizabeth]

This book uses the protagonist child's anticipation for his new baby cousin to have a name as a framing device to educate about naming practices (including naming ceremonies) in Ghana (a child has to be eight days old to be given a name -- the child's uncle says, "A name is not something you give out like sweets. It is something you carry all through your life [...]. So it must be chosen very carefully!").