STOP Spoiling My Beautiful Name

My name is Akosua Kuma. I was named after my father’s mother. This is a name I have a special connection with because of how great my granny was. Over …

Relationship Oct 21, 2025 0 2 Add to Reading List

My name is Akosua Kuma. I was named after my father’s mother. This is a name I have a special connection with because of how great my granny was. Over here in the UK, I mention my name with pride and even go the extra mile to explain it to my white peers who ask for its meaning. I tell them I was named after my grandma, and because she was the youngest among the Akosuas in the family, they added ‘kuma’ to her name, so ‘kuma’ means the youngest.

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I was proud of this name until I came to Ghana and realized that Akosua Kuma means something different. I was like, “What! How come?”

The first time I heard it was when I was listening to one of the Twi-speaking radio stations. Every minute the presenter would mention, “Akosua kuma.” So I asked my cousin, “Why is my name all over the news?” and she laughed out loud. She said, “I swear you don’t want to know what they are talking about.”

I pressed for answers, and she told me, “Down here, ‘Akosua Kuma’ is a euphemism for the female genitalia.”

Let me ask. Who ate a full bowl of fufu and abenkwain and, while full, decided they were going to call the female genitalia Akosua kuma?

I’m deeply hurt. The name I once bore with pride has become awkward for me. Now I can’t mention my name in full. The ‘kuma’ is slowly fading from my mouth. My dad called me Akosua kuma and I asked him, “Are you calling my name, or you mean something different?”

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He laughed, but it’s not funny. The next time I come to Ghana, I will hold a one-woman protest in front of the Manhyia Palace, demanding everyone stop spoiling my name. Akosua kuma means Akosua kuma and nothing else. You’re all warned. Stop spoiling my beautiful name.