Via the BBC: Pretoria name change is approved
A recommendation that the name of South Africa’s capital be changed from Pretoria to Tshwane has been unanimously approved.The Geographic Names Council took four hours to back the change. Tshwane is the name of a pre-colonial local chief and means “we are the same
[…]
The city was named after Boer settler and Afrikaner hero Andries Pretorius.
At the weekend, hundreds of predominantly white South Africans staged a demonstration against the name change.
On the one hand, I understand the desire to change the name, given its origins and the history of the country. On the other, my guess is that most people, South Africans included, pay little mind to the origins of the city’s name (I have no idea, for example, why Montgomery is called Montgomery, or Dallas is called Dallas) and there has to be a remarkable amount of economic impact for such a move for both the public and private sectors.
(Although, on a semi-related note, it is odd to me that two of the major High Scools in Montgomery continue to be named Jefferson Davis HS and Robert E. Lee HS, especially given that the population of both are majority black. Of course, they are referred to as “JD or “Jeff Davis” and “Lee”–meguesses most people don’t even think about the names as anything other than the high schools themselves).
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Up here in Northern Virgnia, we have the Lee Highway and the Jefferson Davis Highway - no one seems to make a stink about that, although I do not know if Lee Highway is named after Robert E. Lee. Washington & Lee University - yes.
As far as Montgomery, you should know that the city was named after Commander Montgomery Scott, a fine, fine engineer
Comment by Mark — Thursday, May 26, 2024 @ 3:08 pm
Pretoria Changes Name to Tshwane
Trackback by Outside the Beltway — Thursday, May 26, 2024 @ 5:49 pm
I read something about the proposed name change last semester when I was doing my paper on South Africa. What was proposed at that time would change the name of the city, but the inner part of the city would still be known as Pretoria. I believe that article included an estimate on the cost of the name change, but I don’t remember what that figure was.
Comment by Jan — Thursday, May 26, 2024 @ 7:00 pm
Indeed.
Comment by Steven Taylor — Thursday, May 26, 2024 @ 9:21 pm
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American Ethnocentrism: Some bloggers are complaining that Pretoria, South Africa has changed its name to Tshwane. It’s too […]
Pingback by Gay Orbit » American Ethnocentrism — Friday, May 27, 2024 @ 12:04 am
Lee actually would be an appropriate name, if you think about it. After the Civil War, Lee set an example of acceptance of African Americans - great story of acceptance from someone who had fought in the Civil War. Jefferson Davis seems like an odder choice.
Comment by B. Minich, PI — Friday, May 27, 2024 @ 9:22 am