Tamale Mirundi Jr., a son of the late Joseph Tamale Mirundi, the former Journalist and Presidential Press Secretary, has informed all his friends and the general public about a major name change he is making. This comes after his father’s demise. He said in a public statement this week that he drops the “Jr.” to take up “Sr.”.
The decision marks a symbolic shift for Tamale Mirundi Jr., as he explained, “Things have changed now… I am not Junior anymore, I am now Senior.” With the elder Tamale Mirundi no longer around, his son believes it is time to take on the mantle of “Senior” within the family. “I was Joseph Tamale Mirundi Jr and he was Joseph Tamale Mirundi Sr. Now I am the Senior,” he added.
In an interview, Tamale Mirundi Jr. humorously responded to a question from journalist Simon Muyanga Lutaaya about who is to take the “Jr.” suffix now. He said the title will be passed on to his future son and called out for any rich lady willing to give birth to a celebrity’s baby to come out so that they can have a “Jr.”
This “Jr.” and “Sr.” convention is rather very old, aiming to identify different generations within a family who share the same first and last names. Normally, “Jr.” is added to the end to refer to the younger of the two individuals with the same name, while “Sr.” refers to the elder. Tamale Mirundi Jr. thus feels it befits him to start identifying or referring to himself as Sr. to signify his current status in the family lineage following his father’s death.
The use of “Jr.” and “Sr.” is not only a matter of formality to prevent confusion but also helps a family retain its identity by maintaining the same name for generations; it is also an expression when two generations have borne the same names. Roman numerals “II” or “III” are affixed to either Jr. or Sr., respectively, in cases where there are more than two generations with the same name. Occasionally, these titles are honorific in nature and bring with them a sense of responsibility since they represent a blood lineage.
By taking up the “Sr.” suffix, Tamale Mirundi Jr. does not only change his name but also confirm a new position that was lately held by his deceased father in the family. This plainly indicates that identity with and tradition in families are very important, even when there is change. Now a senior, Tamale Mirundi Jr. takes up the mantle left behind by his deceased father as he continues to hand it over to the next generation.
