Not a short form of Josephine
Neither is it spelled Josie or Josi
Wait, why should I care about?
My name is very special to me, I admit
Its meaning is very present in my mind
A reminder of where I am from
A light to illuminate my path whenever I feel blind
What does it mean?
Born in the capital of the Congo
I was raised between the capital city
and the south of the country
My Mom is from a different ethnicity than my Dad
It’s not just two different ethnicities,
It’s two ethnicities that dislike each other
Growing up, My maternal grandmother often criticized
My dad ethnicity though she never explicitly called on my Dad
I’m from the struggle of different identities
Of different ways of living
Of hundred years of history full of dislike and opposition
I am from two different people that love each other
I’m not the typical kid from Africa with a non-sounding African name
Nor am I a rejection of my cultural identity
What does my name mean again?
My Dad’s name is Joseph
My mom’s name is Sulamite
If you haven’t guessed
My name is the combination of the two first letter of both of my parent’s name
My name is the crisscross of my mom’s native Lingala and dad’s western Luba
My name is a combination of boiled Safu and the time-consuming Kasava leaves
I am the love that unites two people for the better
I mean love
JN is a student at Casco Bay High School. She moved to the U.S in 2016 from D.R.C. She speaks French and English. She is in the processes of redefining the idea of home as she trying to make a connection between what was home then and what is home now.
