The recent Royal Directive to name the important national roads of Oman with significant personalities of Oman’s history gives an important insight into the role of appropriately naming public infrastructure projects such as roads to create national identity.
That names are important is generally known.
Just how important is not usually considered, except by linguistics and scholars in the Humanities. One such scholar, Moaz Azaryahu states that ‘street names conflate urban space and the symbolic realm of cultural signification’. Simply put, road and street signs reflect the cultural importance of the persons with whom it is associated, and becomes an intangible sign of national pride.
Names are important ways in which history is understood and shared. They promote recognition by being used in everyday situations. As an example of the current names proposed: the recollection span will be immediate when they are used in multiple spheres like maps, books, oral conversations and of course, the ubiquitous digital sphere and social media.
Aligning a frequently used public space with historically significant figures unites people with a common knowledge and purpose. It gives a sense of lineage to young students who feel pride in the knowledge of a shared past. It also gives a sense of design and purpose to a nation which is proud of its historical roots.
Such endeavours are common across the world. In the postcolonial context, countries in Asia and Africa undertook major changes in names of localities, buildings and public structures like airports to reflect the new identities of the countries as they emerged from the shadows of empire.
Similarly, buildings, roads and other structures are often renamed to showcase the changing demographics and global realities of the 21st century. This is usually done by signposting in more than one dominant language to accommodate and facilitate tourism and business.
A recognition of the past is an equally relevant move to place a nation within the framework of a continuing tradition. This allows citizenry and visitors to place a nation firmly within a historical continuum. It also allows for a broader understanding of a nation within the framework of a valiant past instead of being viewed as a static entity.
As we all know, our past determines our future. The extent to which we are rooted in the culture and knowledge of the past reflects the surety with which the future is approached. Celebrating one’s roots is thus an important way of acknowledging the glories of the past which will pave the way for the ambitions of the future.
Invoking the great people of Oman’s past centres their contribution to the civilisational glories that are central to Oman’s history. They are also ways in which individual contributions of great national leaders are understood as part of a larger vision that is shared by the community.
We often ignore, or are unaware of the importance of the everyday aspects of our lives: the areas where we live, the signs which inform us of these areas, and the roads on which we drive. These are a part of our daily lives, often invoked without thought. This is exactly why they matter.
National identity is created in many ways. There are tangible symbols like national flags and symbols, like the Khanjar, for instance, in Oman. But identity is also created in intangible ways through songs, traditions or rituals which are handed down through the generations. Street names are such examples as well. They add to national identity and pride, as well as show the path to understanding the past.
Language is always around us, in ways that we may not be aware. But that is exactly the importance of names — we invoke them when we may not be aware, but they have a recollection that is beyond that of history books.
Naming streets after great Omani rulers is one of the ways in which history will be imparted in a shared manner. It is also a way in which the past indicates the path to the future.
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