Amandla Stenberg, star of “The Hate You Give,” took the opportunity to reply to the criticism she has been receiving on social media from South Africans.
The celebrity was reprimanded for mispronouncing her Xhosa name.
In the TikTok video, she stated, “Okay, so I’m going on here because I’ve noticed a lot of people discussing about my name and how to pronounce it, and I want to join the conversation because I’ve been pondering these issues a lot myself.
Stenberg demonstrated that she can say her name the “proper” way, but she also explained why she occasionally opted to pronounce it differently.
“Many Westerners and Europeans remark, ‘Oh, your folks took ‘Amanda’ and added a ‘l” No, girl, bye, no, it is ‘Amandla’ as in ‘Amandla Awethu,’ which means ‘power to the people’ in Zulu and Xhosa, and I grew up realizing that this had historical significance… It was utilized as a rallying cry throughout the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa.”
She stated that her mother gave her the name and intended for her to exemplify the concept.
However, her mother changed her name to Stenberg because she believed it would be easier for her at school and she did not want her to struggle.
“She believed that people would be able to speak it more readily and that I would have less difficulty. In this diasporic manner, Mom was attempting to help me assimilate.
“I don’t know; I believe this raises a number of intriguing questions around diaspora, what we embody, what we assert, and how we pronounce things.”
She added that it was a 50/50 split between how she pronounced her name and to whom she was speaking.
“I am still figuring out how to introduce myself, you know, so, yo, South Africans, if you’re willing, let’s have a conversation, I welcome it and I’m thankful for it. Thank you very much.”
@amandlafr ♬ original sound – amandla stenberg
TikTokers applauded her explanation, after which she explained the significance of her name.
“Amandla isn’t just a name. Amandla has a richer history and a more profound significance for all black South Africans. It’s crucial to pronounce it correctly, remarked @Anime girl.
Angela Masilela wrote, “You cannot wash down a name with such historical meaning to South Africans in order to make people feel more at ease.”
@What do you want!!!🤨 I only want you to respect your name by pronouncing it correctly. It signifies power, and there is no power in watering it down for the convenience of others.”