You gotta hand it to Gen Z for the way they sprinkle some serious sparkle on our traditional Gikuyu names with fresh new spellings. Their newfangled spellings add some pizazz to the names, reinventing them, but still retaining their authentic flavour.
Check out these five names that Gen Z has rebranded with flair:
1.YTHERA
Waithera, a classic clan name, is reborn as Ythera. Doesn’t it sound like a name fit for a fearless African goddess? In the Gikuyu mythos, Waithera is one of Mumbi’s daughters, known for her sense of justice, bravery, and fairness. In Greek Mythology, for comparison, the goddess of law is Themis, often depicted as a blind woman bearing aloft a pair of scales.
2.KIDJO
Njoki gets a fresh twist with Kidjo, giving it an exotic West African flair. And it’s fitting because Njoki is all about rebirth. The name Kidjo just rolls off the tongue like it’s ready to take on the world-like Angelique Kidjo the evocative songbird from Benin has done.
3.KMRU
Joseph Kamaru’s grandson, a maestro of ambient music, modernizes his granddad’s name to KMRU. Based in Germany, this artist is creating vibes that are as smooth as they are ambient. Now, don’t ask me how to pronounce it—I am not Gen Zee but Gen Mzee.
4.NYOXX
This is a fierce, unapologetic bold spelling of Nyokabi, a name denoting a Kikuyu girl with Maa blood coursing in her veins. Beat that. The male equivalent is Wokabi, but I am yet to come across a zazzy spelling of it. Any takers?
5.AYROSH
Irungu, an ancient Gikuyu age set name morphs into AYROSH, a name that just begs to be your new best friend. And if you haven’t heard Ayrosh the musician yet, you’re missing out. His rework of Kamaru’s classic “Reke Ngwitikirie” is a masterclass in musical innovation. But it was when I stumbled upon his ‘Maheni’ track that I truly lost my mind. You can check it below; thank me later:
