It is very common for one to have a nickname or alias in secondary school and mostly, the origin could be intriguing. Adjetey Anang’s story is not different as the actor has recounted how he was named ‘Ratus’.
Now a celebrated actor, young Adjetey Anang in his days at Labone Secondary School, like any other junior, was bullied by his seniors who had no mercy on him despite his innocent appearance.
“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".
Detailing the conversation that ensued between them, Adjetey Anang said the scuffles had woken his school father up. The senior colleague had found himself a wooden plank ready to hit “whichever rat had disturbed his sleep with it” only to find out that it was rather Adjetey Anang.
"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”.
According to Adjetey Anang, he became famously known as ‘Ratus’ as the school father narrated the incident to his friends who “had a good laugh” at his expense.
The memoir titled ‘Adjetey Anang: A story of Faith, Imperfection and Resilience’ tells Adjetey Anang’s journey to stardom, his impact, lessons, struggles, and the sacrifices which have shaped him over the years.
It also reveals the relatable individual behind the varied captivating screen characters he has played over the years, including the legendary Pusher from the iconic TV series Things We Do for Love.
You can also watch some of our programmes below.
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Adjetey Anang