Having a nickname or alias in Secondary School is quite common, often with intriguing origins.
The renowned actor, Adjetey Anang, shares his story of how he was nicknamed ‘Ratus’.
During his time at Labone Secondary School, a young Adjetey Anang faced bullying from his seniors, who showed no mercy despite his innocent appearance.
This led to the nickname ‘Ratus’ being bestowed upon him.
“Seniors found it very easy to prey on the frail, small figure of Adjetey, or George, as those in my Secondary School days knew me as,” he stated in his memoir, recalling his first day at school. “I had to be ingenious, though, in my approach towards them. I became adept at finding ways to avoid and outsmart them. I grew smarter by the day and adapted better to Senior Secondary School life.”
Adjetey had just been punished by a senior colleague for dozing off at prep and when he got to the dormitory, his “stomach growled” reminding him of his “unassuaged hunger”.
“I was tired, so after changing into my pyjamas, I dosed off quickly,” he recalled. “I woke up a few hours later to realise that the lights were out. In the darkness, I groped my way towards my chop box to find something to eat. I was being cautious, or so I thought. I managed to gather some gari, powdered milk and sugar when I heard someone whisper my name. It was my “school-father”.
In the ensuing conversation, Adjetey Anang described how the scuffles had awakened his school father. Startled by the commotion, his senior colleague grabbed a wooden plank, intending to strike the “rat” that had disturbed his sleep.
However, to his surprise, he discovered that it was none other than Adjetey Anang himself.
“Are you a rat? You woke me up with all that noise. I nearly hit you with this wooden plank,” Adjetey Anang quoted his school father to have said as the school father gave him a curious look and continued: “You this boy, you be rat paaa”.
Adjetey Anang became widely known as ‘Ratus’ after his school father shared the incident with his friends, who found it amusing.
The memoir titled ‘Adjetey Anang: A story of Faith, Imperfection and Resilience’ delves into Adjetey Anang’s path to fame, highlighting his influence, life lessons, struggles, and the personal sacrifices that have shaped him over the years.
The memoir offers a glimpse into the relatable individual behind the captivating screen characters he has portrayed throughout his career, such as the iconic Pusher from the beloved TV series ‘Things We Do for Love’.