Africanization

{{hatnote|Africanization can also refer to Africanized "killer" bees.}}

Africanization or Africanisation (lit., making something African) has been applied in various contexts, notably in geographic and personal naming and in the composition of the civil service via processes such as indigenization.African Successes Four Public Managers of Kenyan Rural Development David K. Leonard UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS

Africanization of names

Africanization has referred to the modification of place names and personal names to reflect an "African" identity. In some cases, changes are not only of transliteration but of the European name.{{cite book|title=Language in Africa: An Introductory Survey|author=Edgar A. Gregersen|year=1977|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=0-677-04380-5|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/languageinafrica0000greg}}

In many cases during the colonial period, African placenames were Anglicized or Francized.

=Place names=

==Country names==

Various African countries have undergone name changes during the previous century as the result of consolidations and secessions, territories gaining sovereignty, and regime changes.

class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 90%"
Previous name	Year	Current name
Dahomey, Republic of \| 1975 \| Benin, Republic of
Bechuanaland Protectorate \| 1966 \| Botswana, Republic of
Upper Volta \| 1984 \| Burkina Faso
Ubangi-Shari \| 1958 \| Central African Republic
Zaire, Republic of \| 1997 \| Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Middle Congo \| 1960 \| Congo, Republic of the
French Somaliland / Afars and Issas \| 1977 \| Djibouti, Republic of
Spanish Guinea \| 1968 \| Equatorial Guinea, Republic of
Swaziland, Kingdom of \| 2018 \| Eswatini, Kingdom of
Gold Coast \| 1957 \| Ghana, Republic of
French Guinea \| 1958 \| Guinea, Republic of
Portuguese Guinea \| 1974 \| Guinea-Bissau, Republic of
Basutoland, Territory of \| 1966 \| Lesotho, Kingdom of
Nyasaland Protectorate \| 1964 \| Malawi, Republic of
French Sudan \| 1960 \| Mali, Republic of
South-West Africa \| 1990 \| Namibia, Republic of
Ruanda-Urundi \| 1962 \| Rwanda, Republic of / Burundi, Republic of
Zanzibar / Tanganyika \| 1964 \| Tanzania, United Republic of
Northern Rhodesia \| 1964 \| Zambia, Republic of
Southern Rhodesia \| 1980 \| Zimbabwe, Republic of

class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 90%"

Previous name

Year

Current name

Dahomey, Republic of

| 1975

| Benin, Republic of

Bechuanaland Protectorate

| 1966

| Botswana, Republic of

Upper Volta

| 1984

| Burkina Faso

Ubangi-Shari

| 1958

| Central African Republic

Zaire, Republic of

| 1997

| Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Middle Congo

| 1960

| Congo, Republic of the

French Somaliland / Afars and Issas

| 1977

| Djibouti, Republic of

Spanish Guinea

| 1968

| Equatorial Guinea, Republic of

Swaziland, Kingdom of

| 2018

| Eswatini, Kingdom of

Gold Coast

| 1957

| Ghana, Republic of

French Guinea

| 1958

| Guinea, Republic of

Portuguese Guinea

| 1974

| Guinea-Bissau, Republic of

Basutoland, Territory of

| 1966

| Lesotho, Kingdom of

Nyasaland Protectorate

| 1964

| Malawi, Republic of

French Sudan

| 1960

| Mali, Republic of

South-West Africa

| 1990

| Namibia, Republic of

Ruanda-Urundi

| 1962

| Rwanda, Republic of / Burundi, Republic of

Zanzibar / Tanganyika

| 1964

| Tanzania, United Republic of

Northern Rhodesia

| 1964

| Zambia, Republic of

Southern Rhodesia

| 1980

| Zimbabwe, Republic of

==Other place names==

Fernando Po island changed to Bioko Island
Léopoldville changed to Kinshasa
Salisbury changed to Harare
Lourenço Marques changed to Maputo
Nova Lisboa changed to Huambo
Fort Lamy changed to N'Djaména
Tananarive changed to Antananarivo
Bathurst changed to Banjul
Santa Isabel/Port Clarence changed to Malabo
Élisabethville changed to Lubumbashi
Stanleyville changed to Kisangani
Luluabourg changed to Kananga
Ponthierville changed to Ubundu
Novo Redondo changed to Sumbe
Moçâmedes changed to Namibe, but changed back to Moçâmedes in 2016
Abercorn changed to Mbala
Broken Hill changed to Kabwe
Fort Jameson changed to Chipata
Hartley changed to Chegutu
Fort Victoria changed to Masvingo
Many places whose names were of European origin in South Africa have undergone Africanization since 1994; see South African Geographical Names Council.
Port Elizabeth changed to Gqeberha in 2021.

=Personal names=

Joseph-Désiré Mobutu changed to Mobutu Sese Seko
François Tombalbaye changed to N'Garta Tombalbaye
Étienne Eyadéma changed to Gnassingbé Eyadéma
Francisco Macías Nguema changed to Masie Nguema Biyogo Ñegue Ndong

Sometimes, the name change can be used to reflect a change of faith, most prominently seen in the case of Islam. (See Islamic name.)

Examples:

Albert-Bernard Bongo changed to Omar Bongo
Dawda Jawara changed to David Jawara in 1953
Jean-Bédel Bokassa changed to Salah Eddine Ahmed Bokassa

Africanization of civil services

In some countries after following their independence, "Africanization" was the name given to racial policies and affirmative action, which were intended to increase the number of indigenous Africans in the civil service.

Localization in African languages

The term Africanization, abbreviated as the numeronym "A12n," has been applied to discussion of internationalization and localization of software and content in African languages.