Veteran actress and owner of top brand, House Of Belinda in a press conference on Monday, 26th of April 2021, disclosed to the world the real reasons why she changed her name from Belinda Effah to Grace-Charis Bassey.
She posits that her divine encounter with God prompted her to change her name from Belinda Effah to Grace-Charis Bassey.
Her words; "I had to change my name and the only thing that can make me change my name will be the most supreme being which is God. A lot of people will not understand that. So I don't bother to explain to people when they ask me why.
"A couple of years ago I wanted to change my name when I found out that I could not really grasp the meaning of my name. Some people said it meant 'beauty' some other people said it meant 'beautiful serpent'. So I was cut in between not knowing what the right meaning is. Linda seemed to have diverse meaning and I wasn't quite comfortable with that.
"Also with the fact that Belinda was not the first name that my parents gave to me. My birth name is Uyu.
"I came across Belinda in secondary school, one day my brother came up with the idea of changing my name and my sister's name because we were all bearing native names. He came up with different names and asked us to pick. Funny enough I picked Melinda but I didn't like the name because people started calling me Mirinda in school. So I decided to just go on with Belinda because they could not twist it to something funny like Mirinda.
"I should have known not to pick Belinda because my brother actually picked it for my sister and I was going to be Melinda but she said she wanted Fiona. She checked the meaning and it was cool and she went on with it. I didn't check I was just carried away with Belinda because it sounded cool, it sounded hip, and that's what I get all the time when people hear my name. they say oh, I like that name. It sounds hip.
"I believe that name should not be about how it sounds or how hip or cool it is but about the meaning, because name is about representation. When you are being identified by a name it represents you.
"Having fully grown and matured, getting to discover myself I started asking myself a lot of questions like, I'm I supposed to be where I'm meant to be, who I'm I, what do I want in life... and I got to a point in life where I felt stocked like nothing seems to make sense to me anymore.
"I had to turn to my creator and asked him, what is your purpose for me in this life? That was because nothing seems to make sense to me anymore. Not money, not people, not material things.
"Before then, on my own I wanted to change my name but when I thought about it, and made research about name change, it was too complicated you have to change your whole identity, you have to do the paper works, of course I'm a brand people know me as Belinda Effah. So it's personal and my fans are very personal too. I mean they won't accept it at all cost. I actually changed it three years ago but not on papers. It was too tedious so I gave it up.
"However, on the15th of August last year. I had a divine encounter with God to change my name to Grace.
"Nobody changed my name to Grace, God did. So after my encounter with God, I called my parents and told them not to call me Belinda anymore, and my mom said wow... congratulations. The interesting part is that my mom said she named me Grace at birth.
"She said, she had a friend who bears Grace and her friend Grace went through all the troubles with her during the Labour of my delivery and she decided to honor her friend by naming me after her so she named me Grace.
"You know the mother doesn't really have control over the naming of the children, the father does. So my father decided that I bear Uyu and it was final.
"God knows what he wants for everything he created, and he has a purpose for everyone. Like they say, Destiny can only be delayed but it can't be denied.
"Here I am standing as an actress, as a brand and whatever people know me for, to announce to the world that I'm changing my name after over 30years. People have questioned me as to why will I be so mad to change my name. I'm like if God says move, I jump. I don't care, if God gave it to me who I'm I to say no?
"I'm not here to fulfill man's purpose because man's purpose is limited. I'm here to fulfill God's divine purpose and since he has asked me to change my name, I have changed my name.
"A lot of people will not understand but I don't really care because I have gotten to the point where nothing really matters anymore.
"We hear on social media everyday that one person or the other has passed on and they didn't go with the wealth they have amassed. They didn't go with their acting career, they went with nothing. So why would I hold on to this because it gives me wealth, or credibility, or it's going to make me be with the hip group or class, or things that really doesn't make sense.
"You only know the people that truly loves you, like people that are here right now on short notice.
"People will only be there for you when you have the substance. When you don't have the substance they are not there. If it is happening for you, they are there, when you have money they are there. Just say, I don't have money anymore, I don't have the power anymore, I don't have the influence anymore, are you still going to find those friends? No! So why are we building impression with the wrong people? I have come to the realization that I want to be happy in life and my ultimate happiness is from God, and I only need directions from him, I don't need man's directions.
"If you go to the hospital and talk to a sick person on the bed, then you will know that their desire is quite different from when they were not sick because they will do things differently.
"I have an opportunity now to do things differently. It may not attract a large number of people because it's not hip, it's not flashy, it's not saggy and all of that but at the long run I have foundation and that's what matters to me.
"So... Dear world, ladies and gentlemen of the press, dear family and friends I will like to be recognised and identified as Grace-Charis Bassey henceforth and not as Belinda anymore. I know it's going to take a while for people to adopt to this, people may make mistakes and still call me Belinda. It's ok, I'm giving you guys six months to get use it.
"I'm Grace-Charis Bassey and I want to unveil my new logo for my business. From House Of Belinda to Grace-Charis Bassey empire. So this is my representation now. A couple of people have asked me what Charis means. Charis means Grace, so I'm double dose of grace". She concluded.
When asked by journalist if her new name has reflected on her social media handles, and If she was not afraid of losing her blue tick. She said "As a matter of fact I tried changing my name on Instagram but Instagram has refused to change it for reasons known to them. But if you go to my page you will see Grace-Charis Bassey, former Belinda.
"My handle has not been changed, they said they need to approve it and I don't know how long it's going to take for the approval to come. Even at that, It's still my page, it's only the blue tick that is gone and If I properly re-identify myself with the new name the blue tick will be back.
"My name is changed, I'm just waiting for Instagram to change the handle to Grace-Charis and whoever wants to follow will find their way to follow like they followed before".
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