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.
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