A BOY WITH MANY NAMES: THE VALUE AND POWER OF GIVEN NAMES

On a winter's day in 1918, in the small village of Mvezo, Eastern Cape, South Africa, a boy named Rolihlahla was born to Nosekeni Fanny and Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa. Gadla, a respected chief of the Thembu tribe, named his son, unaware that this child would one day become a pivotal figure in shaping the future of South Africa. The village, rich in natural beauty, was a place where tradition and customs of the Thembu people were deeply rooted.