Racism debate after Russian and Nigerian gas companies combine to form 'Nigaz' Gazprom has launched a new venture with Nigeria - the unfortunately-named 'Nigaz' When a $2.5billion international venture is being planned you might expect there to be hours of debate over what to call it. Yet branding is not the forte of some companies, it seems. Russian Energy giant Gazprom has inadvertently walked into a racism row with the announcement of its joint venture in Nigeria - Nigaz. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Nigerian counterpart Umaru Yar'Adua last week agreed the deal to build refineries, pipelines and gas power stations in Africa's most populous nation. The name is meant to be an amalgamation of 'Nigeria' and 'Gazprom', pronounced 'nye-gaz', but it can be read phonetically as an offensive term for those of black African origin. 'How more derogatory can it be. Let's join forces in making our government rename this,' said the creator of 'Nigerians No Nigaz', a group on Facebook.
Gazprom has launched a new venture with Nigeria - the unfortunately-named 'Nigaz'
When a $2.5billion international venture is being planned you might expect there to be hours of debate over what to call it.
Yet branding is not the forte of some companies, it seems.
Russian Energy giant Gazprom has inadvertently walked into a racism row with the announcement of its joint venture in Nigeria - Nigaz.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Nigerian counterpart Umaru Yar'Adua last week agreed the deal to build refineries, pipelines and gas power stations in Africa's most populous nation.
The name is meant to be an amalgamation of 'Nigeria' and 'Gazprom', pronounced 'nye-gaz', but it can be read phonetically as an offensive term for those of black African origin.
'How more derogatory can it be. Let's join forces in making our government rename this,' said the creator of 'Nigerians No Nigaz', a group on Facebook.
OTOH, considering this hyphenation is common in corporate Russia (Rusal, for example) and that no one chuckles when a country is named Niger or Nigeria because we are all adults presumably and not 14 yr old boys and that "NiGaz" does not sound in Russian like it looks in English ... Well, I can see how it happened and find no reason to think it is intentionally racist.
I mean, this is a Nigerian venture too, correct? As in, the Nigerians agreed to this... "Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.
