A grass to grace story, this time being told by actor Ramsey Noauh. He sat down with Christian Agadibe of Sunday Sun to discuss how life has treated him so far, and his tormenting experiences whilst growing up with his mother. See an excerpt of the interview;
Tell us about your growing up?
My growing up was like tasting the two sides of a coin. When I said tasting the two sides of a coin; I mean tasting being a rich man and a poor man. I grew up with my mother, and with a silver spoon, I had it all. When I began to realize that I had good things to show off, everything disappeared. We started from grace to grass; that has helped me a lot because it totally balanced the equation of life. It gives me confidence in all spheres. For instance, I can hang out with the enlightened or the rich. I can mingle with them very easily without any complication or complex whatsoever. Also, if it is the low class or poor people, I can mingle very easily with them. I can eat a fantastic dinner in a huge, expensive restaurant and I can go eat amala at a buka and I would not feel anything. I don’t care being a popular actor or a role model. I am a role model to everybody.
Are you saying that fame has not denied you anything in life?
It has denied me a few, but it has not denied me being as natural as I want to be. I won’t let that happen. It has happened to some of my colleagues. Fame has taken them away from what they wanted to do or be. There was a time I went to a bank to pay my NEPA bill and I was wearing a short and T-shirt, because it was on Monday morning somebody came down and said ‘Ramsey Noah, you are a role model, you shouldn’t have been wearing this’. I didn’t take it likely with him.
For you, what was the worst scenario when life was so cruel?
Those were the times when things got really bad for my mother and I and we had nothing. It was so bad that we didn’t have a home or shelter to live in. We had to stay in a store, a small store that could take only one mat. My mother and I squeezed ourselves in that mat. We didn’t even have a cup to drink water not to talk of a stove to cook. And my mother had to borrow, beg and stuff like that. These were moments when I was young I didn’t realize the gravity of poverty we were in, I couldn’t tell. But it was a good orientation for me. It was moments that I thank God for making me past through, because that has sustained and helped me even as an actor. The ability to deliver all the roles they give me because I have tasted both sides of the coin.
With all these experiences, what has life taught you?
Life has taught me never to look down on anybody because the person you disregard might just be your saviour tomorrow. I realized that all my mother’s property was washed away by rain. We couldn’t sleep all through the night because of the flood. It was really terrible. Like I said, it is a life lesson.
Is there anything that can make you cry or shed tears after all you passed through?
Yeah, those moments; those terrible moments when we had nothing and we were living off people. People were just helping us out. There were times we didn’t have food to eat three or four days. You haven’t eaten and your stomach is rumbling but you don’t have any place to go. There was a time I lived on the street, in shops. There was a time I slept under the bridge. It was unfortunate that there were no records so that we can have memories we could play back now. To me, I am so extremely grateful that I went through it. At that time I hated everybody around me. In fact, I used to question why God was doing this to me. But I think God knew that I needed this for my future.
- See more at: http://www.definitelykingsley.com/2014/01/there-was-time-i-slept-under-bridge.html#sthash.o1Vp72FR.dpuf
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