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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. 240–254

A chameleonic evolution of a people’s wishes, identity, and aspirations

An onomastic reading of Highlanders FC names and nicknames

| Great Zimbabwe University

Highlanders Football Club is the oldest football club in Zimbabwe. The formation of the club is intertwined with the history of the Ndebele nation. The club has changed names in response to various environments over the years, starting from being called Lions Football Club to acquiring its current name. The football club has always been associated with Ndebele royalty, an issue that excites varied responses to its presence. The supporters of Highlanders Football Club have given it quite a number of nicknames that are, mainly, endearments. The names and nicknames both bear the wishes and aspirations of the football team and its supporters. Highlanders Football Club has become a form of identity, culture, and ideology to its supporters. This chapter discusses messages that are conveyed by the names and nicknames of Zimbabwe’s oldest football club from an onomastic perspective. Bearing in mind the fact that onomastics is an interdisciplinary field, the chapter appreciates the deep-seated social and political issues that these names and nicknames raise and the aim is to bring them to the surface. It is also the aim of the chapter to unravel the myth around the craze that seems to engulf the supporters of this football club by examining the messages carried by its names and nicknames that have kept changing over the years.

Keywords: identity, nicknames, supporters, culture, Ndebele nation
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Brief background of the Ndebele nation
  • 3.Highlanders Football Club names
  • 4.Highlanders Football Club nicknames
  • 5.Conclusion
  • References
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