name change tyrone -> afrasan

tyrone is my given name - given to me by my parents, whom i love and respect.
adams is the family name inherited from my african-american ancestors, who were forced to use this name by their slave masters.
Both those names are European names (Irish).

afrasan adamawan is the name i chose for myself
in order to feel comfortable and identify with the name by

1. getting rid of the name inherited from slavemasters
2. connecting with the panafrican movement and ideals

i chose afrasan adamawan as my name, because

• afrasan means “son of africa” and also resembles the terms “africa” and “afro”, which will induce some association with africa whenever my name comes up.
• adamawan is the name of a region in west-africa where my ancestors were enslaved.
• both afrasan and adamawan are names of african language groups several thousand years old, which for me represent not only panafricanism but also the importance of language and communication.
• i like the sound and feel...
• although i do not know the name of my african ancestors, i did not want to have an X in my name, as e.g. malcom x, but rather more directly link to africa. at the same time i chose not to use the word africa, as e.g. john africa, since this term has also been coined by white colonialists.

friends and family, old and new, some of whom are named adams, and some named otherwise, all of whom i deeply love, are now getting used to this new name of mine ... and call me by this name.

i changed my name for political reasons, to support the independence of africa as a whole while at the same time criticizing the still reigning feudal colonial imperialist system, which officially is called capitalism. additionally, i changed my name so that i may feel represented by it, so that my heart can identify with it, while at the same time pointing to both the colonial past and present by shedding the colonial control over my name.

assata shakur, muhammad ali, amiri baraka, el-hajj malik el-shabazz, john africa, frederick douglas, sojourner truth, molefi kete asante, maulana karenga and many others before me have changed their names for similar reasons, and more will do so in the future...

mayibuye africa, amandla awethu!
afrasan