[Civsoc-mw] [NYASANET] ku joni kwavuta

[Tony Thontholani]

Chimwemwe is neither masculine nor feminine. My female cousin's name is Chimwemwe. She lives in Philadelphia. 
My friend (male) is Chimwemwe. He is a soldier in Lilongwe. 

Mabvuto was popularised by Mabvuto Lungu as a masculine name. Otherwise, were Mary Waya Mabvuto Waya, the name would be thought feminine. 

Hastings popularised the name Kamuzu (people started perceiving it as masculine). With his bully-tactics Kamuzu is perceived as an ultra-masculine name. But in reality it is unisex. So, is Bakili. Today, it is a name associated with pickpocketing (largely a townsman profession). 

The German registrar would reject all the above names if you wanted to use any of them to name a son. The names end with a vowel and hence, in German, feminine. 

Also, the current (first)naming culture is largely a product of Western school system. Traditionally, the first name would rarely be used once one reached adulthood. 

The names you carry are colonial. Jeremiah etc are not African names. They are a product of colonialism. One James Ngugi chose to drop the James and added wa Thiong'o. Today we are used to call him Ngugi wa Thiong'o. 

> On 27. Apr 2017, at 08:34, Jeremiah Kang'ombe <000000031b7be3b2-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.ICORS.ORG> wrote:
> 
> Indeed it's very rare to find Mabvuto as a woman's name. May be one in 10mill people kkk.