Is it just me or is it everybody else?

You know what makes me laugh from time to time is how people struggle so much to pronounce my name. I try to teach them how to say the click properly but every time I get a pop and not the crucial click that's needed. I tell them where to put their tongue and how to manoeuvre it around their mouth. But as soon as they get that part right they forget how to pronounce the rest of my name which is easier to pronounce.

But of course, I’m not the only person who has this complicated name given to them by their mothers. One of my friends who has been blessed with the name Mokhalaka, has had the same struggle I have had to endure. You would pronounce the kh in his name with a gha, the same sound you hear when you are dragging your feet through a small pile of stones. It’s the same with him as it is with a lot of black people with difficult names to pronounce, he had to teach white people how to pronounce his name... and guess what? They all failed and they all gave up decided to call him Mo, full stop.

A wise lady once said to me “you truly show someone you care about them when you take the time to learn their language.”  That wise lady was actually my friend’s mother.

All I am asking for here is a little bit of understanding and a bit of practice to show that you really want to know who I am. This has to work both ways, if you are white I will ask you your name and if it proves to be a difficult name to pronounce I will ask you what is the proper way of pronouncing and I will attempt pronouncing your name until I get it right.

I will not however ask you "what do they call you?" I'm proud of my name, it's the one thing my mother loved saying whenever she gave me the most approving look you'll ever see. take the time to practice and i'll take the time to get to know you.