Flamboyant Malaysia based Nigerian, Ray Hushpuppi in this very inspiring post, took us down memory lane on how a landlord chased his family out of the house because they couldn’t pay their rent, how he shared shoes, toiletries and under wears with his younger ones, and what he went through just to leave the shores of Nigeria for a better future.
Hushpuppi is currently sending this from one of the world’s favorite’s places, Milano, Italy. Read his post after the cut…
“Letter to the Ghetto Kid:
As a man that I am today who developed from being one of you guys, who went through the same struggles you are presently going through, who had to run and jump hurdles where other kids just walk past the same situation in a better environment with better resources and much provisions, I know the society do not expect you to make it, the government don’t care about your future, they toy and joke around making rules and laws that only affect you and benefit the rich.
You lack everything it requires to become who you might have loved to be, do the things you would have loved to do or to live the life you may have seen on tv or the internet, which I know you even have limited access to because there’s never power supply for such, which means you are deprived most of the things that can be learnt through tv and internet in the first place which makes your dreams smaller, quicker to fade away but I want you to know that darkness you are, without the dark, the stars won’t shine and so you can shine out if that darkness.
You have been deprived so many right a child deserves and the world look down on you because you are nothing but a clot of blood miraculously turned a baby, and an unfortunate one at that.
Good health, good foods or good education hasn’t been in any way your chance to have. Looking at you disgusts not your brethren only but even strangers are not so impressed for your unhealthy appearance. Your strength; courage; and dreams are nothing but hallucination just because you were not supposed to dream big.
I am sure nobody ever believed in whatever you say or do. You have been victimized by neighbors; friends; and even family members who were supposed to give you hope.
This is my story, this is me and this is the hushpuppi you have been hearing about. The Ghetto kid in me is at Its peak and ready to explode and spread around the globe. I am you and you are me. I represent every under priviledge kid of the world and especially of Nigeria and of Lagos and of Bariga and of Oworonsoki — Where a landlord had chased me and my family out of a rented room. I’ll never forget the look on my mother’s face trying to send me and my siblings to neighbors and relatives and the sadness in the eyes of my sibblings.
Now, you see i represent you? Trust me I know how it feels to not have parents come watch you in school play football or run races in ur school, I know how it feels to come out your apartment to take showers in a zinc sheet bathroom separated from the building.
The society made me who i am today, i was never one of those who their parents couldn’t afford a movie ticket to see a movie when Silver bird cinema came newly, I shared shoes, toiletries and underwears with my younger ones as well as mats and see me now at my early thirties, i am writing you a letter from one of the favourite places any human alive would have loved to be, billionaire or penniless.
Nobody is listening to your cries; your lamentation; and your grievances are not felt a bit. If i had sat down complaining about the bad government; bad economy ; bad friends, I will not be here today. I had a dream i was not supposed to cry, knowing nobody would listen, so i rose from the hood and decided to do the things my forefathers never did.
I crossed the seas, walked through burning bushes, jumped over thorns and babbed wire. A lot of people know me from when I used to use okada to be selling “akube” clothes to boys that was making cheddars in diff hotels up and down the mainland of Lagos.
Look at yourself, do you like the way you are right now? Are you pushing beyond limits? Are you succumbing to the tune of the selfish ‘Baba Alaye’ in your neighborhood? Nobody will help you if you decide not to help yourself even hailing Hushpuppi 1,000 wouldn’t help you either, be about you, get up, pick a struggle, leave your comfort zone, work hard at it, pray a lot and don’t kiss ass, rich people are users and inconsiderate.
Dear hustling hood kid, let no man hold you down. My advice for you is never to put your dreams in the hands of Ambode and Buhari, they don’t know you, they don’t believe in you cos there’s millions of people like you on their neck, it’s not much they can do if they can even do anything at all so don’t expect you will ever win or make it by waiting for anyone.”
To be continued….
