VICTORIA: AGBARA/AGBALA NWANYỊ

VICTORIA: AGBARA/AGBALA NWANYỊ

In the Igbo-speaking world, Agbaranwanyi refers to a woman who embodies power, beauty, honour, and influence. The name is derived from Igbo culture, where agbara represents divine energy, power that rules over specific locations like the earth, water, etc.

Her equivalent in Roman culture is the name Victoria. Victoria symbolises strength and success and is derived from the Roman goddess of victory.

Her Greek counterpart is Nike. Names like Nicholas and Nicole are derived from her.

However, the deity closest to these Roman and Greek deities in Igbo is Ekwensu, the god or spirit of war, , commerce, cunning, and victory.

Today, names derived from Victoria and Nike are promoted, while their counterparts in our own culture are demonised.

Imagine how we demonised our beautiful names that tell our story and connect us with our origin and environment only to replace them with their foreign counterparts.

This self-loathing is evident not only in our names but in almost every aspect of our lives. This is one of the reasons we have become spectators in a world of actors.

Let us end this self-hatred, because those who hate themselves can hardly love another person sincerely and meaningfully. A world of haters is hell.