Many cultures treat names as an important aspect of identity but in many cultures individuals have no say at all on what becomes their names.
‘Shed that name they put you in.’ —Obongjayar, ‘New Man’
It is a new day.
For the last two or so years, I have called myself, been called, and gotten published under the name Grey Atanda. Before that, in 2017, I was Atanda Obatolu; a young man with a new image of himself, having only just come to terms with his queerness. And before that, I was Faruq Obatolu, my legal name, cishet and stiff, in a long, problematic heterosexual relationship that destroyed me when it ended. Now it is 2022. I am 24 years old, gender nonconforming and more confident in my body than ever before. I am more aware of myself, more deliberate and intelligent—and I have decided to adopt a new name, Ìjàpá. Ìjàpá Ọlọ́gbọ́n-Ẹ̀wẹ́. The cunning tortoise.
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