Second City Origins ~ Africa Part 2

Are you ready for adventure?

Then let's go!

Into the centre of Africa, in the footsteps of Mungo Park, a Scottish explorer who charted the course of the River Niger in 1796. He theorized that the Niger and the Congo joined upstream, a claim that was later disproven before he completed his adventures. He was killed in Nigeria while trying to flee hostile natives.

But I digress, this blog isn't about early explorers, it is about cities and the origin of their names. By now you will be familiar with the format of these blogs, and this edition is no different. In my opinion, there is a vestige of comfort in the familiarity of the layout, but then I would say that wouldn't I!.

Abidjan used to be the capital of Ivory Coast, but the then president, Félix Houphouët-Boigny, who was born in Yamoussoukro, moved it in 1983. However, most of the foreign embassies remain in Abidjan.

The general consensus is that the city got its name by accident or in a "lost in translation" moment. Legend has it that a European explorer came upon a man carrying branches, when asked the name of the nearest village, the man replied "min-chan m'bidjan", which in the Ebrie language means "I just cut the leaves". The explorer then recorded the name of the village as Abidjan !

ABIDJAN = I CUT THE LEAVES  (Best one yet I think)

True to form for Burkina Faso, this town's name seems difficult to pronounce at first sight, Ouagadougou is the capital after all. Strangely, I wrote down Ouagadougou from memory, and got it right first time....honest!

Anyway, the name is made up from two tribes that lived, and indeed, still live, in the area, the Bobo and the Dyula peoples.

BOBO-DIOULASSO = HOME OF THE BOBO AND DYULA PEOPLE

The city of Kumasi became known in 1695 when it became the capital of the Ashanti Empire. Most of the original town was destroyed by the British during several colonial wars.

The name of the city derives from the Twi language word, kumase, which translates to "Under the kum tree". The word is split into kum meaning "tree" and ase meaning "under". The kum tree is a type of plum tree known elsewhere as Okum. The Ashanti leaders used to sit under the tree to discuss their affairs.

KUMASI = UNDER THE PLUM TREE

The city grew in pre-colonial times as a trading post on routes between the north and south of Togo, and between neighbouring countries, as well as further afield. It's history as a commercial centre is due to being situated in a gap in the Togo Mountains.

According to this webpage the name Sokode means "to close" from the Kotokoli language. It was given because the town frequently became barracaded by rival tribesmen trying to take over the trade route.

SOKODE = TO CLOSE

Although Cotonou is the largest city in Benin, and the seat of government, it is not the capital. That honour goes to Porto-Nouvo, which you can read about in my previous series of blogs dedicated to the world's capital cities. Shameless Plug and link to the series !

The name of Cotonou derives from the Fon language and translates as "By the river of death". Although, Cotonou is on a lagoon fed by the Oueme River, so where this name comes from is a mystery.

COTONOU = BY THE RIVER OF DEATH

Maradi was originally part of the Katsina state of northern Nigeria, it was all but destroyed in 1899 by French colonists. However, it rose to prominence in the early twentieth century, with its population doubling between 1911 and 1950.

I have not been able to find a definitive etymology for Maradi. I did find a Hausa to English dictionary. Hausa being the language used in that area at the time. A literal translation is....

MARADI = THE REASON (Make of that what you will)

Another city that is in fact the largest, but not the capital of its country. Lagos was the capital until 1991 when the government decided to up sticks and move to the centre of Nigeria and to Abuja. The Port of Lagos is one of the largest and busiest in Africa. Lagos is also home to the film industry, nicknamed "Nollywood".

The name derives from the Portuguese name for Lakes, in fact, it is thought to be named after the Portuguese town of Lagos from where maritime expeditions to West Africa departed in the 15th century.

LAGOS = LAKES

Moundou is a relatively young city, it was founded in 1923 by the French sergeant and administrator Joseph-François Reste, Lieutenant-General of Chad. While traversing the nearby River Logone, he thought the site had an aesthetic appeal and decided to build a settlement.

I have as yet been unable to find an origin of the name Moundou, I have tried several local and international languages, and delved deeper than before into Google pages, down to number 20 so far, without success. I feel this may be one of those places. For want of a better idea, I have e-mailed the National Museum of Chad, although I won't hold my breath for a reply.

MOUNDOU = ?

Douala is Cameroon's largest city. Before coming under German rule in 1884, the settlement was known as Cameroons Town, but this was changed to Kamerunstadt in the German language.

It was renamed in 1907 as a reference to the local natives, the Dua ala Ijaws. Their language takes a similar name to the city, Duala.

DOUALA = NAMED AFTER LOCAL PEOPLES, DUALA

Wikipedia provides little information on this city other than that it is a suburb of the capital Bangui and the site of the country's only women's prison.

The Hello Mondo website unhelpfully states "The name “Bimbo” originates from local dialects and has faced various interpretations, creating a tapestry of cultural identity and historical significance." but then declines to tell us the origins of the names.

The local Sango language dictionary states "Currently we have no translations for bimbo in the dictionary" and then asks if I would like to add an explanation. I was tempted to make something up, but I didn't think that would be nice!

BIMBO = ?    (Failed again!)

This former capital of Equatorial Guinea is located on the mainland of the African Continent, the capital Malabo is on the island of Bioko. Bata is known for its nightlife and markets, and for being a seaport and transport hub for the country and surrounding areas.

The etymology of this name eludes me once again. Does anyone care about the origins of some of Africa's largest cities? However, the area is the only Spanish speaking region in Africa and a quick look at a Spanish to English online dictionary shows that bata in Spanish translates to "Coat". I very much doubt that is the answer but here goes....

BATA = COAT (maybe)

Port-Gentil is the centre of Gabons petroleum and timber industries. The city is located on a delta island and is connected to the mainland by a series of bridges built by the Chinese. Most roads in the city are poorly maintained.

The city was named in 1900 to commemorate the French Colonial administrator, Emile Gentil.

PORT-GENTIL = NAMED AFTER EMILE GENTIL

Neves is one of the smallest "cities" on this list, with less than 9,000 residents according to a 2012 census. It is the site of a port built with the help of Nigeria, and is home to a brewery and power plant that supplies the rest of the island.

Yet another city with little to no information. In this case no clue as to its origins. There is a translation from Portuguese, the main language of the islands, however, due to its location just 23 miles from the Equator it seems improbable. Nevertheless, here goes....

NEVES = SNOWS (No, I don't think so either, but what can you do?)

Pointe-Noire is the main commercial centre for the Republic of Congo. Like Port-Gentil above, Pointe-Noire is the main port for the oil and timber industries, as well as most other imports and exports from the country.

Its name dates back to Portuguese navigators in the 15th century who saw a headland with black rocks and named it Ponta Negra or Black Point. It changed to Pointe-Noire with the arrival of French Colonial powers.

POINTE-NOIRE = BLACK POINT

Well, that was a struggle. Two unknowns (Moundou and Bimbo) and two dodgy maybes (Bata and Neves). The problem, I think, is that these second cities don't always play a vital role in their respective countries. The capital takes precedence over everywhere else, local governments don't always care about elsewhere in the country and places are forgotten. This can be noted by the fact that many of these settlements are unknown to the outside world, I hadn't heard of many of them before I started researching this blog, even though some of the towns have well over a million inhabitants. Will this blog change that? Maybe, but I doubt it. It is a brief interlude into the history of these forgotten cities.

So where to next? Well, we continue our journey around Africa heading around the south and into the Indian Ocean.

The next blog will be slightly shorter. In the original Capital City Origins blog series, the third African episode had fifteen entries, but thanks to South Africa having three capitals, and Eswatini having two, the next issue will only have twelve entries.

See you next time.