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Article In:
Naming and Labelling Contexts of Cultural Importance in Africa
Edited by Nico Nassenstein, Sambulo Ndlovu and Svenja Völkel
[International Journal of Language and Culture 10:2] 2023
► pp. 176–190

(Un)packaging the “sweetness” in the naming of farms by resettled Black sugarcane farmers in Chiredzi, Zimbabwe

A study of selected names

| Great Zimbabwe University
| Great Zimbabwe University

This chapter makes a socio-onomastic analysis of farm naming by resettled “Black” sugarcane farmers in Chiredzi District, Zimbabwe. It focuses on the beneficiaries of the Fast Track Land Reform Programme initiated by the government from 2000. The research unravels the motives behind the selection of the names and their significance. This was achieved mostly through interviewing the owners responsible for naming their farms. It was observed that most of the names are in the Shona language and only a few in English, which points not only to the ethnicity of the beneficiaries but also to the change of ownership from “Whites” to “Blacks”. These names are largely celebratory, as they reflect on the elevation of the farmers’ socio- economic status and their hopes and aspirations, whilst some names indicate racial tensions characteristic of the period, the political rhetoric of the regime and the ruling party, as well as the spirituality and identity of the farmers.

Keywords: economic empowerment, land reform, “Black” sugarcane farmers, naming practices, Chiredzi, Zimbabwe
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background
  • 3.Conceptual framework
  • 4.Categorization and analysis of farm names
    • 4.1Names and identity
    • 4.2Names and the farmers’ socio-economic status
    • 4.3Names, racial tensions and political rhetoric
    • 4.4Farm names and the owners’ spirituality
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Note
  • References
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