Change ‘Wise Vagina’, ‘Penis is a Fool’ village names – Opambour

The founder and leader of the Ebenezer Miracle Worship Centre in Kumasi, Rev Ebenezer Opambour Adarkwa Yiadom, has argued that the place names of the villages in the Birim North District of the Eastern Region, which contains references to genitals should be changed.

According to Opambour, it is time to change the names of villages, which have gained notoriety since being mentioned in Parliament.

Before Parliament went for a break in the last week of July 2018, there was laughter in the Chamber as Members of Parliament lost their composure in fits of giggles and horselaughs, when the Member for Abirem in the Eastern Region, John Frimpong Osei listed out the names of towns in the Birim North District that were awaiting connection to the national electricity grid.

The laughter was caused by the place names, which contained references to genitals

These are the English translations for the Twi names:

* Etwe nim Nyansa – “Vagina is Wise”, * Kote ye Aboa – “Penis is a Fool”, * Shua ye Morbor – “Testicles are Miserable

In Ghana names of towns and villages are normally given by the first settlers in those communities and are drawn from the life experiences of those individuals.

Many Ghanaians had not heard of the villages until they were mentioned in Parliament – and they have been left wondering about the origins of the names.

During a church service at his Ebenezer Miracle Worship Centre last week, Rev Opambour Adarkwa Yiadom expressed how it was not necessary for those villages to continue to use those names.

According to him, all the persons and things that may have contributed to the towns having these names are dead and gone and he sees no reasons why the profane names they gave the villages still remain.

Repeating the names several times during the sermon and asking his interpreter/translator to do same after him several times, Opambour argued that just as in the case of amendments to existing laws because of evolving times, it was time for the names of the said towns to be amended.

The preacher quizzed the chiefs of the towns if they were not embarrassed to be introduced as leaders of such villages at public gatherings.

He wondered how it would sound like at public gatherings when the chiefs are introduced as leaders of those villages.

Opambour also questioned the sanity of persons who were advocating for the towns to be made tourist centres.

Source: Daily graphic