Japanese professional tennis player, celebrity Naomi Osaka, has sparked outrage in Africa after revealing the contentious name of her new business venture with NBA superstar LeBron James.
The former World No. 1 announced this week that she was developing a media platform named ‘Hana Kuma’ in collaboration with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James. Hana Kuma means “flower bear” in Japanese, but in Swahili, it means ‘a woman with no vagina.’ The term has sparked outrage in areas of Africa, particularly Kenya, with many users urging Osaka to reconsider the name choice. Since Wednesday, the word has dominated trending topics, with Citizen TV, Kenya’s most viewed news outlet, remarking on Twitter that Kenyans were “losing their heads” over it.
The Bantu language, Swahili, is extensively spoken in Sub-Saharan Africa and is in the top ten most spoken languages in the world, with over 200 million speakers. The four-time Grand Slam singles champion has yet to openly address the uproar around her new brand name, but she did offer a cryptic tweet about ‘overthinking’ on Wednesday, stating that she appreciated the “overthinkers” and that they would be “going through it.”
Osaka stated that the media platform developed with James’ SpringHill company planned to produce content centered on culturally specific but universal topics. According to the New York Times, SpringHill, founded with sports marketing entrepreneur Maverick Carter, would serve as Hana Kuma’s financial, operational, and producing partner.
As the online outcry continues, the firm is already moving forward with its first project: a documentary produced in cooperation with the New York Times about Patsy Mink, the first woman of color to be sworn into Congress.
The world’s highest-paid female athlete in 2020 withdrew from Wimbledon for the second year in a row, citing an Achilles heel ailment. This means Osaka will have to wait another year to add to her Association of Tennis Professionals win total at Wimbledon, where she has not won since 2018.
( Photo Leonard Zhukovsky )
