Veteran Nollywood actor, Anayo Modestus Onyekwere, also known as Kanayo O Kanayo, has revealed how he had considered suicide while growing up.
In a recent interview, the 60-year-old actor recounted his experience living with a family member when he was younger.
He said he was made to hawk Agidi in the streets of Enugu and he was made to sell every bit of the the Agidi else he would be faced with inconceivable torture from his brother’s wife.
According to him, the torture had driven him to have suicide thoughts one day while hawking. He said he considered jumping off a bridge into deep water to end his suffering but he reconsidered his actions.
He said, “When I look back, I sold agidi. And my brother’s wife, whom I lived with in those days in Enugu, didn’t want to know your age.
“She would pack dozens of agidi on my head and God save me if I returned home with some unsold items with the kind of beating I would receive that day.
“If you are familiar with Enugu very well, I used to hawk agidi from New Haven to Abakpa, a long distance.
“One day, I got to Abakpa bridge and as a small boy then I looked down into the water of about 30 feet deep and a voice said to me, ‘why don’t you jump into the water and end the whole thing’?
“I was a small boy carrying this heavy thing on my head. But I didn’t listen to that voice and luckily for me, I finished selling all the agidi.
“The next day, I was given Akamu to go and sell in the streets. That’s one part of my story. I remember vividly when I was in my village in Oboama Ezinihitte Mbaise, I used to dig pit toilets.
“Then, you have to do something to contribute to the family economy. These days you take your children to school in air-conditioned cars. It was not so during my days.
“When I remember that I had to dig a pit toilet just to contribute to my family’s economy, I say to myself, I have come a long way. I also did other menial jobs just to support my parents.”
