Why place names should be gender balanced

Around the world, places named after people are more likely to be names of male icons. In this talk, Chanda Penda questions this status and seeks to provoke local authorities and the general public to contribute to gender balance in commemorative place naming. Watch the talk to find out why it’s necessary for place names to be gender-balanced. Chanda Penda is a researcher and lecturer at the University of Zambia, where he teaches Intangible Cultural Heritage. He is the founder of the Encyclopedia of African Names Research, where he has also served as the Series Editor for over ten years. Chanda is a member of the International Council of Onomastic Sciences and the American Name Society. He has participated in several conferences on personal and place names, including the recent United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names session. He is a cultural consultant who aims to achieve more gender balance in the way places are named. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx