This is a companion / discussion page the the New Website (for the PanAfrican Localisation Network) page.
The idea of using a name derived from one or more African languages as a nickname is very interesting, but can be tricky. The need would be for something with a good meaning, a usage that doesn't nonplus the native speakers, and which has a pleasing sound. A "Burkina Faso" solution from 2-3 languages requires more creativity and effort, but makes it more PanAfrican than a name from one language (Burkina is from Moore language and Faso is from Manding; the word for the people - Burkinabe - uses an asciified version of the Fula plural ending for the class of people). All of which is to say that maybe if this is the route we want to go in, probably a committee of 2 or 3 who know diverse sets of languages (not really important which ones) could try out combinations.
Beyond meaning and sound, the cultural allusions could be critical. In tales of West Africa (or at least the western Sahel), certain animals and trees have certain significance: lion is power, sometimes ruthless, rabbit is cunning, elephant and vulture meet at the baobab to speak of the future, the hyena - well let's not go there...
The South African Parliament did something very interesting when it chose a motto in the now extinct /Xam language http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AfricanLanguages/message/812 . Finding a name like that would need some research.
In the end one might be able to have the best of both worlds: PanAfriL10n and some variant as the term to use in the meantime, and also let people develop "localized" versions for various languages and countries.
This suggested name from Hausa, with the sense of "red earth speaks" should be vetted with some Hausa speakers if it hasn't already
