Kenyans are up in arms over the name of a recently established media company owned by Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka.
Hana Kuma, Osaka’s new media company, was founded in partnership with four-time NBA champion LeBron James.
The former world number one revealed on Tuesday that she hopes to present tales that cross cultural barriers.
She claims that the name Hana Kuma, which means “flower bear,” will be used to produce stories that are “culturally specific but universal to all audiences” and already has a number of projects planned.
LeBron’s media outlet, The SpringHill Company, which he co-owns with his longtime business partner Maverick Carter, will act as Hana Kuma’s financing, operations and producing partner.
“I honestly can’t say if I’ll personally be in anything right now. What excites me is being able to inspire people and tell new stories, particularly ones that I would have wanted to see when I was a kid. I always wanted to kind of see someone like me,” Osaka told the New York Times in a Zoom interview.
LeBron, on his part, said: “We don’t take for granted the position we are in to lend a helping hand, in this case to Naomi, to help empower her to do even more great things.”
However, the Swahili name Hana Kuma has been trending in Kenya, which has piqued the interest of the ordinary person.
And while the name has an intriguing sound in Japanese dialects, it has an entirely unpleasant meaning in Swahili.
In Swahili, Hana Kuma – means the person has no Virgina.
