Politician Emilbek Kaptagayev wants the city of Bishkek to be known as Manas, a warrior whose adventures make up a massive epic poem dated back to at least the 18th century. The former presidential chief of staff posted that this would prevent “any temptations that might emerge after the passage of the years” to rename the capital after potentially-divisive politicians.

The impetus for this was the decision of neighbouring Kazakhstan to change the name of its capital city from Astana to Nur-Sultan, in honour of Nursultan Nazarbayev, the country’s first president who stepped down last week after nearly 30 years at the helm.

After a gunman opened fire on two separate Christchurch mosques, leaving 50 dead and dozens injured, Crusaders chief executive says that the organisation is listening to feedback over a change of name for one of New Zealand’s most decorated sporting sides. Minister for Sport and Recreation Grant Robertson says that conversations around a potential name change for the Crusaders is appropriate.

A reference to the medieval Crusades from Christians against Muslims between 1095 and 1492, the name ‘Crusaders’ could be taken as highly offensive and inappropriate. As calls for the Crusaders to consider a re-brand continue to grow, the inevitable question is beginning to linger. To what? Any ideas?

Kazakhstan’s second post-independence president wanted to rename the country’s capital after its first president, who served for 30 years.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was sworn in as Kazakhstan’s president on Wednesday, a day after longtime leader Nursultan Nazarbayev announced his surprise resignation. Tokayev, who had served as senate speaker, was the designated interim replacement according to the Kazakh constitution. He is expected to serve the rest of Nazarbayev’s term until elections in April 2020.

In his inaugural speech, Tokayev praised Nazarbayev as “an outstanding reformer” and called for renaming the capital city, Astana, “Nursultan.”

The Royal House of Mandela has thrown its weight behind renaming Cape Town International Airport after Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. At Madikizela-Mandela’s funeral in Soweto last year, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (a far-left South African political party) Julius Malema made the first call for the name change, having said that if the African National Congress (governing party) was serious about honouring maWinnie and her legacy, it should name the Mother City’s airport after her.

Political parties disagreed in Parliament over the name change of the airport, with the ANC saying all names of Struggle heroes and heroines needed to be considered. The Airports Company South Africa has given the public until June 6, 2019 to submit names for the change. Once the public process is complete, a report of conclusions and recommendations will be compiled. Other names put forward include Struggle icons Albertina Sisulu, Nelson Mandela, Chris Hani, Robert Sobukwe and Alex La Guma.

Raffi Joe Wartanian told an amazing story of his family by pointing out their interesting family name. His immigrant father Ghevont Vartanian, who left his hometown, Beirut, in 1974, thought adopting an American name was a prudent measure to avoid mispronunciations. To his son it felt like admitting defeat.

Raffi Joe describes how he cringed whenever his father called himself George. He wanted him to declare his name rather than defer to its otherness. He wanted him to teach people how to pronounce his name and appreciate its Armenian origins. History echoed within his father’s name: Ghevont is a canonized orator; Vartan, an honored warrior. Both served as Armenian leaders in the fifth-century Battle of Avarayr. But the name of George silenced that history.