More than fifty years after African countries independence, the colonial
system continues to reveal its heritage. This is particularly true with urban
place names among which a number of currently used are of colonial origin.
Through a number of readings, the authors analyze the present situation in
Central Africaand question its
meaning. The article provides therefore an understanding of urban geographical
names in nine countries colonized by French, Germans, British, Belgians and
Spaniards. It appears that if Belgium was the colonial power that gave most of
its place names to towns in Central Africa, it has been, after the
independence, the only country that experienced a total decolonization of urban
geographical names. In addition, the heterogeneity of the current urban
toponymic situation lays, both on the contrasting profile of the colonial
powers and on the different reactions of the colonized countries after
independence.
Cite this paper
Simeu-Kamdem, M. and Koulbout, D. (2016). Some Features of Urban Place Names in Central Africa. Open Access Library Journal, 3, e2914. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1102914.
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