Ghanaian musician and winner of the 2023 TV3 Mentor, Byno Ayoni shared some of his distressing ordeal he experienced growing up in the city of Aflao.
Speaking on the Daybreak Hitz show on May 8, 2024, he recounted the emotional journey of how his father deserted him at birth due to his albinism.
Byno said his mother could not stand the disappointment and frustration and passed away three months after he was born.
“I didn’t know my father growing up. According to what my grandmom told me, when I was born, the man came to the hospital, saw me, and said, ‘We don’t have this thing in my family.’ So he ran away. My mom, out of pain and disappointment, died when I was just three months old,” he said.
He was then taken under the care of his grandmother but had to face serious health issues and societal discrimination because of his albinism.
“So my grandmom took responsibility. At the time, I was a sickly child. I got so sick, according to my grandmom and the people who saw me grow up, that you could see the food travelling down my stomach when I was eating. That’s how sick I was,” he added.
Byno also mentioned that unlike his community and where he grew up, he felt safe in his school, Holy Star Academy back then in Aflao because his headmaster shielded and always protected him from any harm.
He noted that his love for music begun when he was introduced to the school’s brass band at the age of five by his headmaster.
“I attended Holy Star Academy in Aflao. That’s my primary basic school in Aflao. I didn’t struggle much with acceptance there because I was shielded by the headmaster, and anyone who did something wrong to me would be punished severely.
“It was because of him that I fell in love with music very early. He made me join the band, the brass band. I was five years old at the time. And then music started from there,” he said.
As he grew, Byno realized that his uniqueness was not a curse but a gift that set him apart.
“With time, I understood that it just has to do with being in a society where you are the outstanding person, looking different from everyone else,” he said.
His musical ability was evident, and it helped him win TV3’s Mentor competition and win over fans all throughout Ghana.
