Abedi Ayew: Ghanaian Football Legend’s Name Has Been ‘Corrupted’ From Its Original Spelling And Pronunciation

Abedi Ayew: Ghanaian Football Legend’s Name Has Been ‘Corrupted’ From Its Original Spelling And Pronunciation

  • Names form people's identity, and in Ghana, you can use a person's name to trace their tribe, hometown, and family
  • However, it is not the same for Ghanaian football legend Abedi Pele, who had his name mispronounced and misspelled
  • Several people trace his name to the Akyem people of the Akan tribe, but that is not his lineage

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When a child is born, they are given a name, so it is easy to identify them. In Ghana, names tell where one comes from and which tribe or family they belong to.

However, Ghanaian football legend Abedi Ayew's name has been changed from the original one his father gave him due to mispronunciation and wrong spelling.

In an interview, Abedi’s younger brother, Solar Ayew, explained that the ex-footballer was named Abadi Ayuu and not Abedi Ayew.

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Collage of Ayew brothers
A collage of Abedi Ayew and Solar Ayew Photo credit: @LegonCitiesFC and Dan Kweku Yeboah TV Source: UGC
Source: UGC

He narrated that their father was a Gurunsi chief for some parts of Accra and did not eat outside. However, one day, while he was out, people kept forcing him to eat, and he insisted he would not eat. Abedi was born when he came home, so he named him ‘Abadi’, which means ‘I will not eat.’

He added on Dan Kweku Yeboah TV that during Nkrumah's era, one Minister of State named Abedi came to their home in Dome to ask if they had any Akan connection. However, they explained to the man that they were Kassenas, popularly called Gurunsis.

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Brima Ayew: the eldest of the Ayew Family to play football

Meanwhile, in the same interview, Solar disclosed that they had an elder brother who inspired all of them to play football.

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He recounted that their brother was carried shoulder-high amidst cheers anytime he went out to play football while they were young.

He was called Brima Ayew. He, however, did not pursue a career in football but in academia. He became a lecturer at the University of Ghana and, at a point, headed the Physics department.

Beautiful photos of 3 Ayew brothers chilling goes viral

Still on the Ayew family, YEN.com.gh reported that the Black Stars captain Andre Dede Ayew posted pictures of himself and his two brothers hanging out in Ghana.

When he posted the images, the three footballers were on an international break and back home in Ghana to spend time together.

The brothers were sitting on a couch and great smiling. Dede Ayew captioned, "Family thing ❤️ Imani, where are you? @rahimayew_official @jordanayew9."

Dede Ayew's 1st child graduates from school

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Brima Ayew: The first member of the Ayew family to play football became lecturer at the University of Ghana

Meanwhile, Inaya Ayew has graduated from primary school. Inaya is the first daughter of Andre Ayew and grandchild to Ghanaian football legend Abedi Pele.

The graduation ceremony was held on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. The girl's mother, Yvonne Ayew, shared images of Inaya at the graduation ceremony on social media.

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Source: YEN.com.gh

Authors:
Magdalene Larnyoh avatar

Magdalene Larnyoh (Human-Interest editor) Magdalene Larnyoh writes for the Human Interest Desk at YEN.com.gh. She has over ten years of experience in media and communications. She previously worked for Citi FM, Pulse Ghana, and Business Insider Africa. She obtained a BA in Social Sciences from the University of Cape Coast (UCC) in 2012. Reach out to her on magdalene.larnyoh@yen.com.gh

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