A Brazilian court banned a couple from naming their newborn after an Egyptian king, citing the possibility that it could lead to bullying. Catarina and Danillo Primola wanted to give their newborn boy the name Piye-a historic figure who was the first black pharaoh of Egypt. Piye was an important figure, ruling Egypt for 30 years while helping establish the 25th dynasty.
However, the court intervened stating a fear that the unusual name would expose him to ridicule and bullying during his lifetime. In coming to this judgment, the court clearly compromised its cultural objective of understanding the naming tradition for the potential social life the child was likely to face.
"There was a word there that talked about the black pharaoh," Danillo Primola told Daily Mail. “We went to research what it was like and we found the story of Piie, who was a Nubian warrior who fought and conquered Egypt and became the first black pharaoh.”
They chose to name their son in honor of Piye because of the importance of maintaining a link to their African ancestry.
'Recovering African names is a powerful way to give a new narrative to the history of black people,' Danillo Prímola said. 'We have the right to educate our children with this strength, this culture and in a way that they have representation in their name.'
According to the news portal, in their ruling, court said that pronunciation of the pharaoh’s name is similar to that of the Portuguese word ‘plie,’ which is a ballet dance step.
"That is why the sound and spelling of the name were preponderant for the rejection," the Minas Gerais Court of Justice said, 'since they would be capable of causing future embarrassment to the child."
"We know that bullying cannot be combated by prohibiting it, nor can it be combated by oppression," Danillo Prímola said. "Bullying can be combated by studying and working on the ignorance of society as a whole."
