The Ethiopians changing their names as a show of pride

A surge in ethnic pride among Ethiopia’s Oromo community, the country’s largest ethnic group, is leading some, like Moti Begi, to change their names.

The 40-year-old used to be known at Dereje Begi.

But he ditched “Dereje”, an Amharic word meaning “augmented” in favour of “Moti”, an Afaan Oromoo word meaning “king”.

In Ethiopia, first names are all-important – the second part of a person’s name is not a family surname, usually it is their father’s first name.

Mr Moti, an engineer by profession, is not alone in this name-changing trend – and seven of his friends have recently flexed their Oromo pride with new names.

For centuries, the Oromo community has been made to feel ashamed of their language – Afaan Ormooo – by the country’s rulers, in particular the emperors who hailed from the Amhara-speaking north.