Nollywood actor, Ramsey Noah in a new interview recalls the 
unforgettable, tormenting experiences of his life when he had no food to
 eat and how he had to sleep under the bridge.
“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.” Ramsey said.
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.
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.

No comments:
Post a Comment