Famona
Named after Famona (Mfamona), one of Lobengula's daughters.
Famona is named after one of Lobengula’s daughters. It is one of the southern suburbs, home to Hamilton High School and St Mary’s church, and many Bulawayo families know it well.
Two details from other tellings
- The historian Pathisa Nyathi, quoted in The Herald, says her name was Mfamona, shortened over time to Famona.
- Wikipedia’s table adds a meaning: “jealousy or envy must end.” We have not traced the source of that translation.
When Hamilton High School opened here in 1959, its own history noted that the school stood “in the suburb of Famona — itself named after one of Lobengula’s daughters.” When St Peter’s Diocesan School closed in 1977, part of its chapel furniture went to St Mary’s in Famona.
What we don’t know yet
What became of Mfamona? Is her story told in your family? And your Famona: tell us about growing up there.
Sources
- Bulawayo’s suburb names, A to M
- ‘Suburbs, street names origin explained’, The Herald (Zimbabwe)
- Bulawayo — Wikipedia, suburbs table, which reproduces much of the same wording
- Hamilton High School chapter, Rhodesian senior-schools history (c. 1982)
- St Peter’s Diocesan School chapter, Books of Zimbabwe (1981)
Do you know more about this? Corrections, photographs and your own account are all welcome, and a correction is published on the page with the date it was made. Send something in.