Cover not available
Article published 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. 191–208

The dialectics of sport and history

Commemorative naming of selected stadia in the Kingdom of Eswatini

| University of South Africa
| University of Eswatini
This article explores the link between sport and history. It engages the linguistic landscaping and etymological analysis approaches to trace the origins of the names of stadia and their socio-historical significance. In-depth interviews and document analysis are used in the examination of five names of stadia: Somhlolo National Stadium, Mavuso Trade Centre Stadium, King Sobhuza II Memorial Stadium, Prince Wales Stadium, and Simunye Park Stadium. The findings show that the names of these stadia are a heritage, as past history and heroes are commemorated through them. Moreover, these self-given names, most of which are in the Swati indigenous language, make sense in the context of decoloniality theory. These observations have implications for further research as well as for onomastics.
Keywords: sport, history, commemorative naming, stadia, Eswatini, linguistic landscaping, etymology, decoloniality
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1History of the Kingdom of Eswatini
    • 1.2Commemorative naming
    • 1.3The value of sport and commemorative naming in sport outside Eswatini
    • 1.4African history and onomastics
    • 1.5Types of stadia
  • 2.Methodology, approaches, and theory
  • 3.Findings
    • 3.1Names of stadia as heritage
      • 3.1.1Somhlolo National Stadium
      • 3.1.2Simunye Park Stadium
      • 3.1.3Mavuso Sports Centre Stadium
      • 3.1.4King Sobhuza II Memorial Stadium
      • 3.1.5Prince of Wales Stadium
  • 4.Names of stadia in the context of decoloniality
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Note
  • References
Published online: 3 May 2024
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ijolc.00050.mak
References (49)
References
Akindele, D. O. 2011. Linguistic landscapes as public communication: A study of public signage in Gaborone Botswana. International Journal of Linguistics 3 (1). 1–11. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Alderman, D. H. 2020. Commemorative place naming: To name place, to claim the past, to repair futures. In F. Giraut & M. Houssay-Holzschuch (eds.), Naming places, 1–27. ISTE-Wiley.Google Scholar
Asante, M. K. 1998. The Afrocentric idea. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.Google Scholar
Ashcroft, B., G. Griffiths & H. Tiffin. 2000. Post-colonial studies: The key concepts. 2nd edition. London & New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Azaryahu, M. 2011. The critical turn and beyond: The case of commemorative street naming. ACME: An International Journal of Critical Geographies 10 (1). 28–33.Google Scholar
Biko, S. 1978. I write what I like: Selected writings. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Blum, B. 2013. Naming Nippert: The complete story behind the name of the University of Cincinatti’s historic football stadium. [URL], (accessed 1/11/2023).
Booth, A. R. 1983. Swaziland: Tradition and Change in a Southern African Kingdom. Boulder, Colo: Westview or Gower.Google Scholar
Bruns, G. L. 1984. Language and power. Chicago Review, 34(2), 27–43. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Buberwa, A. 2012. Sociolinguistic meaning of Bantu place names: The case of Ruhaya in north-western Tanzania. Journal for Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences 1 (2). 111–120.Google Scholar
Burnard, T. 2001. Slave naming patterns: Onomastics and the taxonomy of race in eighteenth century Jamaica. Journal of Interdisciplinary History 31 (3). 325–346. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
David, J. 2011. Commemorative place names – Their specificity and problems. Names 59 (4). 214–228. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Dube, L. 2019. The dialectics and politics of football as revealed in the names and nicknames of three selected Zimbabwean stadiums. In H. Beyer, M. Brenzinger, T. du Plessis & P. E. Raper (eds.), Critical toponymy: Place names in political, historical and commercial landscapes (Proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on place names 2017), 177–188. Bloemfontein: SUN MeDIA.Google Scholar
Elizabeth, M. 2023. What is a toponym? [URL], (accessed 21/01/2024).
Gills, D. H. 1999. The Kingdom of Swaziland: Studies in political history. London: Greenwood Press.Google Scholar
Gordon, R. L. 2008. An introduction to Africana philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hausner, I. 2009. Etymology and the historical study of geographical names. In J. P. Bergmann Hubert, C. Cheetham & I. Hausner (eds.), Geographical names as part of cultural heritage, 78–84. Wien: Wiener Schriften zur Geographie and Cartographie.Google Scholar
Hudson-Weems, C. 1993. Africana womanism: Reclaiming ourselves. Troy, Michigan: Bedford Publishers.Google Scholar
Jenjekwa, V. 2018. A toponymic perspective on Zimbabwe’s post-2000 land reform programme (Third Chimurenga). PhD thesis, University of South Africa, Pretoria.
Kamera, W. D. 1996. Introduction to traditional/oral literature (IDE-ALL102). University of Eswatini: Institute of Distance Education.Google Scholar
Kamwangamalu, N. 2009. Reflections on the language policy balance sheet in Africa. Language Matters 40 (2). 133–144. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kooloos, R. 2010. The story of street names in the Netherlands: A comparative analysis of themes used in street-naming in Noord-Brabant and Holland, 1859–1939. MA thesis, Erasmus University, Rotterdam.
Koopman, A. 2002. Zulu names. Pietermaritzburg: University of KwaZulu Natal Press.Google Scholar
Lowe, R. 2016. 5 English football ground names and their history. [URL], (accessed 1/11/2023).
Makondo, L. 2009. An investigation into anthroponyms of the Shona society. PhD Thesis, University of South Africa, Pretoria.
Malcolm, X. 1970. By any means necessary. New York: Pathfinder.Google Scholar
Mamvura, Z. 2014. A sociolinguistic analysis of school names in selected urban cities during the colonial period in Zimbabwe: 1890–1979. PhD Thesis, University of South Africa, Pretoria.
Mangena, T., C. Pfukwa & O. Nyambi. 2016. The post-colonial condition of names and naming in Southern Africa. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.Google Scholar
Matsebula, J. S. M. 1972. A history of Swaziland. Cape Town: Longmans.Google Scholar
Matsebula, J. S., D. K. Mlotshwa, J. M. Mlotshwa & N. D. Ntiwane. 2016. The history of eMaswati in South Africa. Barberton: Mbokodo Publishers.Google Scholar
Nabudere, D. W. 2011. Afrikology, philosophy and wholeness: An epistemology. Africa Institute of Africa.Google Scholar
Ndlovu, S. 2013. Historicity of some Ndebele toponyms in Zimbabwe. Greener Journal of Social Sciences 3 (5). 292–298. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
2016. The Bulawayo linguistic landscape as linguistic heritage: Hodonyms and oikonyms. IGAMA: A Journal of African Onomastics 1 (2): 1–14.Google Scholar
2021a. Coloniality of power and resistance in some interracial toponomastic transphonologies in Zimbabwe. Marang Journal of Language and Literature 341. 27–46.Google Scholar
2021b. Decolonisation of the Zimbabwean linguistic landscape through renaming: A quantitative and linguistic landscaping analysis. African Identities 21 (2). 1–17.Google Scholar
Neethling, B. 2005. Naming among the Xhosa of South Africa. Lewiston, New York: The Edwin Mellen Press.Google Scholar
Neetling, B. 2018. Names of sport stadiums in South Africa: Location, sponsors and politics. Nomina Africana 32 (2): 83–93. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Pannenborg, A. 2012. Big Men playing football: Money, politics and foul play in the African game. Leiden: African Studies Centre.Google Scholar
Pfukwa, C. 2007. The function and significance of war names in Zimbabwean armed conflict (1966–1979). PhD thesis, University of South Africa, Pretoria.
2018. (Re)writing an urban landscape: Street names in Harare’s CBD after 1980. Nomina Africana 32 (1). 37–45. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Scheetz, G. H. 1988. Names’ names: A descriptive and prescriptive Onymicon. Sioux City: Schutz Verlag.Google Scholar
Sikhondze, B. A. B. 2004. Beyond subsistence: Aspects of the political economy of Swaziland. Matsapha: MaNDu.Google Scholar
Tan, P. K. W. 2014. The limits of commemorative naming: A consideration through cases of name change for university buildings. In C. Hough & D. Izdebska (eds.), Names and the environment: Literary onomastics and other commercial names, 140–147. Glasgow: University of Glasgow.Google Scholar
Tichelaar, T. 2002. Toponymy and language. [URL], (accessed 24/04/2021).
Vambe, M. T. 2004. African oral story-telling tradition and the Zimbabwe novel in English. Pretoria: UNISA Press.Google Scholar
Van Wyngaard, A. 2018. The Dutch Reformed Church Mission in Swaziland – A dream come true. HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 74 (1). a4785. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
wa Thiong’o, N. 1987. Decolonising the mind: The politics of language in African literature. Harare: Zimbabwe Publishing House.Google Scholar
2009. Re-membering Africa. Nairobi: East African Publishers.Google Scholar
Winn, S. J. F. 1979. An introduction to Simunye Sugar Estate. Proceedings of the South African Sugar Technologists Association, 66–69.Google Scholar