You will need:
- 26 Aishas, Ieshas, Aichas, et al. Note: each Aisha’s last name should end with a different letter of the alphabet
- 1 roll call rhyme containing the words “My name is…”
Ask the Aishas to form a circle in alphabetical order. (Aisha A, then Aisha B, then Aisha C, and so on.) Each Aisha should the perform a roll call rhyme about her name. Continue until all the Aishas A-Z have rhymed.
-the end-
About the Score:
Say My Name” is a 26 verse hip hop rhyme in which 26 women named Aisha or variations thereof (Aicha, Eyeesha, Aicha, et al.) each perform a verse of their own creation beginning with the phrase “My name is…” Modeled after black girls’ playground cheers, the piece engages viewers in exploring the dramatic rise of Aisha names amongst African American and Caribbean American girls.
Aisha was more or less not an African American name until sometime in the sixties (perhaps the seventies?). However, since the late 1990’s, Aisha and its derivatives have become extremely common to the point where most black Americans know several Aishas, as well as a not too short list of women with related names (Quaeesha, Taicha, Myeesha…). Popular guesses as to the rise in Aishas include the conversion of large numbers of black Americans to Islam, as well as the popular Stevie Wonder song Isn’t She Lovely in which he announces the name of his newborn daughter Aisha. Quite frankly though, I can’t be sure as I’ve never seen any documentation on it, so, I wrote the above score to gather stories from various Aishas about how they got their names.
back to name games
