Brazilian Couple Wins Legal Battle To Name Son After First Black Pharaoh Despite Bullying Concerns

A Brazilian couple were recently embroiled in a legal conflict over the right to name their recently born son Piye after the first black pharaoh of Egypt. At first, a court in Minas Gerais banned the name arguing that the name would result in bullying and mockery as it sounded like the Portuguese word for ballet move plie. However, later, a judge changed this decision giving Danillo and Catarina Primola an opportunity to give a name to their son in honour of the great historical figure.

At first, the couple wanted to register the baby’s name but this was denied by the Belo Horizonte registry office, as per Money Control. The Primolas selected this name with the intention of celebrating their black African heritage and representing their son’s ethnicity. Piye or Piankhy was the head of Egypt during the 25th dynasty and is acknowledged for his military achievements as well as innovations in pyramid architecture.

The Civil Court of Minas Gerais banned it at first arguing that the phonetic sounds of this name could cause potential embarrassment during the child’s entire life. Significantly, the sound and spelling of the name Piye were also important to the court since they thought that it was likely to provoke the child’s peers into bullying him, the report added.

Danillo, however, lamented this ruling, stating that society should be educated with more respect to cultures rather than restricted to names. He wanted to bring back the focus on African names knowing that this would help put a different angle to the overall black history. Speaking with Daily Mail, he said, “Recovering African names is a powerful way to give a new narrative to the history of black people.” Importantly, the couple’s purpose was not only to pay tribute to Piye but also to raise a child with an understanding of cultural heritage, the publication added.

On September 13, a judge reversed the initial decision after the family was unable to register their son’s name due to the delay, which affected the child’s vaccinations and screening. This decision let the Primolas continue the naming of their son Piye, to achieve their goal of cultural representation in the given child’s name.