[Opinions] Re: Cultural appropriation
in reply to a message by Francisinfp5w4
as long as the name in question isn't sacred or taboo, I'm inclined to agree with you that it's morally or ethically fine to name a child (or a pet, or a pot plant, etc.) a name from another culture. however, I'd definitely think about how the name might be received by others as well. I don't think that for white Brits living in Britain, especially if they have no close familial or personal connections to anyone Igbo or with Igbo heritage, or connections to Nigeria as a whole, it would be the most pragmatic decision to name a child Akobundu. even though I wouldn't say they've done anything wrong in naming their child as such, and the name itself is meaningful and I think it sounds nice personally, it will probably result in awkward situations for the child, as a lot of people will probably expect to see a Nigerian when they hear the name. it's interesting to think of cultural exchange when it comes to names, and which names become seen as English because of common use and being featured in popular culture, when in fact they have other origins. perhaps because of increasing immigration, global sharing of information and so on, cultural appropriation/exchange from all sources will grow.