Consider this as my official informal introduction.

I often acknowledge myself as a woman of many names. Since my early childhood, I would experience various pronunciations of my African first name, Nana. Ranging from NA-NA to Non-Nah, and everything in between. I never really fussed about the varying pronunciations. A four letter name with endless ways to be pronounced, right? The true pronunciation is something along the lines of NUN-Nah. Nana is a unisex name loosely translating to mean ‘royalty.’ NANA.

Then along came my middle name, Abena. Simply pronounced AB-BEN-Nah. According to Ghanaian tradition, I was named after Tuesday, the day of the week I was born. Abena, therefore, is known as a ‘day name.’ A short, simple English translation: Nana Abena becomes Princess Tuesday. ABENA.

Lastly, the biblical name Damaris found me. It was unexpected and oddly reassuring. Damaris was a given name. Since then, I have never stopped using it. Acts Chapter 17: 34 – “However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them” (NKJV). DAMARIS.

Recent Revelation: When rearranged, the first letters of the three separate names equate to D-N-A. Throughout my later academic career, I have come to accept this as a favorable nickname.

– Damaris Kyem