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Names form identity and provide people with insight into one’s origin; hence, when a name is mispronounced or misspelt, it changes the meaning significantly.
This was the case with former Black Stars captain and African football icon Abedi Ayew, who appeared to have lived with the erroneous identity his entire life and therefore began his generation distinct from his father’s.
Some Ghanaians believe that Abedi has an Akan background since he has a surname that is common among the Akyems, a clan in the Akan ethnic group, and also has an Akan name as his first name due to its pronunciation.
Solar Ayew, Abedi Ayew’s brother, has set the records straight, disclosing that the correct family surname is Ayuu and that his brother’s first name is pronounced ‘A-ba-di,’ which means ‘I will not eat’.
Speaking with Dan Kwaku Yeboah TV on YouTube, Solar explained that they belong to the Kassena tribe a subgroup of the Gurunsi ethnic group who reside in the Northern Part of Ghana.
He recounted how an Akan minister, who served under late president Kwame Nkrumah paid the family a visit with the purpose to dine with them because he believed they were Akans.
“One minister, during Nkrumah’s time his name is Mr Abedi. They thought that the name Abedi could be an Akan name and the name Ayew could be an Akyem name, so they came to our house to find out whether we have a connection with them.
“They even said we are Akans so they were coming to talk to us so they can be together with us. So Abedi told me to go and talk to them and I went and explain to them that no we don’t have any connection,” he said in the interview monitored by GhanaWeb.
Solar went on to give the nitty gritty on the identity of the Ayuus who later became Ayews.
“We are Kassenas which people call Gurunsi and the name Abedi is not Abedi, it’s A-ba-di, meaning ‘I will not eat’. It’s the pronunciation that people pronounce as Abedi, Abed. It’s Abadi ‘I will not eat’. Our father was the king of the Grushi people in part of Accra, within Achimota, Dome, and Alogboshi and we station around Pillar 2…Then I went out to explain to them that the name Abedi is not Abedi. The man who came, the former minister was called Abedi so I told him. And the Ayew was supposed to be ‘A Y U U’ not ‘A Y E W’. So I explained and they understood. Our father didn’t want us to get lost so we all have the Kassina names. My name was Ayekukem, the meaning is I’m capable of doing it.”
Solar also narrated how their father named the former Olympique Marseille man ‘I will not eat’.
“Our father was like a king so whenever he go to a gathering he had to be careful. So he went to a gathering and when he was given food he felt something wasn’t right and said he will not eat. They did everything he did eat. When he came home Abedi was born. The name is the same spelling but different pronunciation.”
The misspelt surname has gone on to become Abedi’s official name, passing it on to his children to start a new generation distinct from his father’s.
The African great has four children, three sons, and a daughter, namely, Ibrahim Ayew, Andre Ayew, Jordan Ayew, and Imani Ayew.
The three sons followed in their father’s footsteps and have all represented the Black Stars. Andre is the current national team captain.
Watch Solar Ayew’s interview with Dan Kwaku Yeboah below from 48:30
