‘Hi, I’m Barack Obama’ – can adopting a famous name make you a success?
The Guardian
Maeve Shearlaw
7/22/2014
Excerpt:
A Malawian minister has suggested that young people adopt the names of famous people to get ahead in life, dedicating some of her success to taking on the name of the US president. Would you try it?
The Malawian sports minister has given young people a key piece of advice to get ahead in life: adopt the name of a successful person in the public eye. Offering herself as a case in point, she explained how she’d excelled in life after adopting Barack Obama’s name.
Comparing career paths with that of her namesake, Grace Obama Chiumia said: “Obama became the first black American to lead the US and I have become the first women to be appointed minister of sports. Obama won the second tenure of office as US president and I won the second term of office as member of parliament”.
Obama Chiumia went on to suggest that if budding tennis players changed their names to, say, Serena Williams or Rafael Nadal they might enjoy similar sporting successes – although the Malawian Lawn Tennis association was quick to point out that hard work and determination were equally important factors.
.............................................
View the complete article at:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...-names-success
The Guardian
Maeve Shearlaw
7/22/2014
Excerpt:
A Malawian minister has suggested that young people adopt the names of famous people to get ahead in life, dedicating some of her success to taking on the name of the US president. Would you try it?
The Malawian sports minister has given young people a key piece of advice to get ahead in life: adopt the name of a successful person in the public eye. Offering herself as a case in point, she explained how she’d excelled in life after adopting Barack Obama’s name.
Comparing career paths with that of her namesake, Grace Obama Chiumia said: “Obama became the first black American to lead the US and I have become the first women to be appointed minister of sports. Obama won the second tenure of office as US president and I won the second term of office as member of parliament”.
Obama Chiumia went on to suggest that if budding tennis players changed their names to, say, Serena Williams or Rafael Nadal they might enjoy similar sporting successes – although the Malawian Lawn Tennis association was quick to point out that hard work and determination were equally important factors.
.............................................
View the complete article at:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...-names-success