Names without bodies On October 3rd 2013 many young people with names such as Selam (peace) or Tesfaye (my hope) left us all at the same time. Naming our children is a way of telling the world about our hopes, our dreams, our beliefs, or about the people and things we respect. We choose meaningful names for our children, just as our parents did for us. For years these names, and their load of flesh and blood, have left their birthplaces, going far from home, composing something like a written message, a message which has reached the threshold of the Western world. These names have defied manmade boundaries and laws, have disturbed and challenged African and European governments.