Many African countries are still known by their colonial names, while others have changed them.
Names hold great significance, often speaking to a country’s past and cultural identity.
While many African countries were named by colonial powers, some have since reverted to names that better represent their heritage.
Here are five such countries:
1. Botswana
Botswana was known as Bechuanaland after British colonisation began in 1885. After independence in 1966, the country’s name was changed to Botswana, after the Tswana, the majority ethnic group.
2. Burkina Faso
Before its 1960 independence from France, a West African country was known as Haute-Volta, then the Republic of Upper Volta. In 1984, it became Burkina Faso, meaning “the land of upright and honest people.
3,4. Zimbabwe and Zambia
The British protectorate of Rhodesia, named after Cecil John Rhodes a miner and politician in southern Africa.
The British protectorate was formed between Southern African countries, Southern Rhodesia and Northern Rhodesia.
Southern Rhodesia became a self-governing British colony in 1923, while Northern Rhodesia became a British protectorate in 1924. In 1964, Northern Rhodesia declared independence and changed its name to Zambia, derived from the Zambezi River.
Southern Rhodesia was known as Rhodesia until 1979, when it became Zimbabwe Rhodesia. In 1980, Zimbabwe gained independence from the British and dropped the Rhodesia part of its name, derived from Great Zimbabwe, a mediaeval city.
5. Eswatini
In 2018, the country that was formerly known as Swaziland changed its name to the Kingdom of Eswatini. Although the country was referred to as Eswatini by King Mswatti III since 2014, the formal name was revealed during the celebration of its 50th Independence Day.
Renaming the country was considered a symbolic move to distance it from its history of British colonisation and to avoid confusion with Switzerland.
6. Mozambique
It was called Portuguese East Africa until 1975. Mozambique got its name from “Musa Al Bik,” the name of a prominent Arab trader who lived on the island of Mozambique in the early centuries.
7. Mali
Mali’s former name was French Sudan during the colonial period. It was part of French West Africa, a federation of French colonial territories.
After gaining independence in 1960, the country initially joined with Senegal to form the Malian Federation, but when that dissolved, it became the Republic of Mali, named after the historic Mali Empire.
