How I Was Pushed Into River Nile, Off A Moving Vehicle In Egypt – Niffy Larry Bartender
Budding Nollywood international actress, Olanrewaju Oluwafemi, otherwise known as Niffy Larry, paternally from Osun State, maternally from Edo State.
The 5.3 ft tall outspoken thespian is currently working in Egypt as a bartender, before she left Nigeria in search of a greener pasture in the Arab country, she was a student of UNILAG, but due to circumstances beyond her capacity, she dropped out of the Akoka greatest citadel of learning while in her second year.
When she arrived in Egypt, she enrolled at an Arab film school (Alhamdulillah) after she graduated she was able to get some movie roles with the help of Oyekanmi Quadri, the CEO of Alarafilms Heritage in Egypt, she featured in some wave-making movies in the Arab country linking North-east Africa with the Middle East, due to her understanding of the Arabic language.
In this interview with CREEKVIBES OLUWADAMILARE DANIELS, she talked about how she was thrown out of a moving vehicle because she rejected a sexual approach and how she was pushed overboard a boat in the middle of the River Nile by a drunk Nigerian patron. Excerpt;
What can you say about the Egyptian guidelines on exposing vital parts of the body during acting?
The way and manner we act movies in Nigeria is not the same here in Egypt. It is not allowed to shoot films randomly here, you need to rent a private apartment and shoot all your movies within the confinement of that house with the directions changed at intervals; you can’t even produce a movie as far as the Egyptian movie industry is concerned.
If I have money, I can move to Nigeria; set up my crew, and start to shoot a movie, here in Egypt, no way!
If you do not have military back-up you cannot produce a single movie because the Egyptian government is entitled to 60% of your profit, while you will only be allowed to smile to the bank with the remaining 40%.
You said, that if you want to produce a movie in Egypt, you have to involve the military, how will this be made possible for a non-Egyptian?
In Egypt, every family must have a representative in the military, for instance you have a girl and two boys, one of your boys must go into the military, but if you have only one daughter they will let her be because that’s your only child, but if you have two, one must be given to the military to fight for the right of the country.
I am not an Egyptian, but because I can speak Arabic very well, I am allowed to act in their movies, but I can’t produce.
What are your prospects; will you remain in Egypt or come home soon?
I am coming back home to Nigeria because I want Nigerians to see me displaying my acquired knowledge and appreciate me, I have featured in some movies here but nobody recognises me, but if it were in Nigeria I would have been receiving accolades from different quarters over my roles, and with that I will be much more comfortable.
At what point did you develop the interest that made you think, you can act in movies?
While I was growing up, I participated in some school dramas, so at some points, I discovered that when I am with my peers I can switch between moods within a tickle of an eye, after some years a friend said, ‘Nifemi, you are not a shy person why can you go for acting?.’ I told her I only act in church, I never knew I would be in the industry.
Here in Egypt, there are no jobs since I finished college two years ago, the jobs available are that of a housemaid.
In 2017, I wrapped up a modelling course, but I wasn’t comfortable with the kind of jobs I was getting.
What kind of jobs were they?
To model for lingerie brands and tattoo body art, I wasn’t getting casual work.
As a model, you should not be scared of modelling for lingerie…
I know, but we have different perspectives on life, after some time I quit the tattoo/modelling job, and took the maiden’s offer, while discharging my duties as a maid I was able to save some money and enrolled in a film institute.
After the screening (alhamdulillah) I was admitted, I was the only Nigerian in the classroom, it was so funny and wasn’t easy, I was a bit shy.
They call you Olanrewaju how did you come about the Niffy Larry?
Larry came out from Olanrewaju, but Niffy came from a Japanese friend I met at the Mall, she was trying to get an Uber and she did not understand Arabic so she was being misunderstood, immediately I arrived, I offered to assist her in communicating with the driver, she said; ‘thank you, I don’t understand what this man is saying,’ I was able to communicate her request to the Egyptian Uber driver and we all came on a page, so she said, ‘thank you, what is your name?’ I said, Ferannmi, she said, ‘What? Niffy of what?’ I said ok Niffy. That was how Niffy came.
Now that you have finished your studies in Egypt, why don’t you come for your NYSC in Nigeria?
No, o there is an opening for that, but for now, I can’t, I still want to study more.
You have also worked as a bartender, what can you say about this?
Yes, I worked in a Congolese bar owned by Okapee, he had a license problem so his bar was shut down, and then I switched over to Daabalase.
As a professional bartender have you ever felt embarrassed by some customer’s behaviour towards you?
Sure! (general laughter), one thing I will always tell my waitresses is that, since they work in the bar they need two things, patience and tolerance because some customers exhibit bad characters, and perhaps on drugs so when they touch you, you should be careful with them because if you push him and mistakenly he hit his head somewhere and passes on, a murder case will be instituted against you.
There was a Blue Nile Boat event, we moved from Zamalek around 1 a.m. It was a yacht cruise party, so when it was time to go I had already changed to Jalabiya with my head covered so, I went to one of the customers to ask him for his payment, he was supposed to pay 150pounds, he flares; he said; ‘Iwo Omoyi! Mi oni owo! Fimile!’ I discovered he was high on Alcohol, I became calm, and I resorted to pleading with him, he had a cup of Alcohol in his right hand, and he pushed me straight into the River Nile, but fortunately for me I quickly held on to the handrail, one of my legs was off the boat; a lot of passengers screamed; ‘Stop!’
Did he act that way because he knew you to be a Nigerian?
Not really; he acted that way because alcohol has gotten into his brain.
Ok, was he chastised?
Yes, bouncers came to the scene, but they couldn’t do anything to him because he was drunk, they all know that a murder case attracts 35 years imprisonment in Egypt.
Was there any other nasty experience?
The other one made me shed tears, and I said I was going to quit the bartending job.
It was a pool party during summer, it started at noon, usually till daybreak, it was an Egyptian event. The closing time was 1 am, when we were done I asked for my payment, and he said; ‘I am sorry I won’t be able to pay your full money because sales were low.’ I was entitled to £1000/day but he paid me £500, I said no problem. So all I could do was to look for who was going to New Cairo to drop me off because Uber would take more than half of the money.
DJ Master G had an Uber already, but he did not want me in their convoy, so he linked me to a Congolese guy going to New Cairo to drop me off.
I was in the back seat, and one of the guys asked me, how much is my money? I told him I was not a commercial sex worker, he replied in Arabic, ‘Inta miin.’
Meaning?
Then who are you?
I told him I work in a bar, I have never; ever worked as a sex worker. He said he liked me, and he was going to give me everything that I needed, I said I liked him too but, I had everything that I needed. We kept turning each other to the point that he got pissed off, and said he want me now; I told him it was not possible so he open the car door and pushed me off while the car was still in motion, I was severely injured with bruises all over my face and body.
Are you serious?
Thank God it was around 3 a.m there was no oncoming vehicle, I would have been crushed. When I got up, I saw an Egyptian man who supplied sand to the venue with his truck, he recognized me and picked me up I told him what happened he was surprised.
The next day I made a complaint, everyone who was at the venue said they didn’t know him, they even checked through the cameras they couldn’t find him.
Is there any other way you make money from the bartender’s job?
You get tips from some nice people, sometimes some women will monitor their husbands at the bar to see what he is doing; they will call one of the bartenders to keep an eye on him, and by so doing they will give you money, some will even go as far as asking you to do a video of him or snap pictures for him. But before you go ahead because you are not sure if she is his real housewife or an assassin, you must involve the hotel manager in case you run into troubled water.
Do you have a suitor that you think you can get married to soon in Egypt?
Haaaa, I don’t like the whites here because they are not circumcised.
I think they do that if they want to get married…
When I was in school I came across a German boy, he asked me out, I obliged then he later invited me to his house, when I got there his father and mother started throwing questions at me trying to know about my parents in Nigeria and every other thing. I discovered that they were not comfortable with me going out with their son, he was a virgin, he asked me if I was one, and I said no, he then said he wouldn’t do anything with me until he was fully married to me. So I told him I would want to see him naked when he took off his trousers… I was not impressed with what I saw, I covered my eyes and turned.
Did you ask him when he would want to be circumcised?
Hmmmm… you see the name Nigeria scares them, if I asked him that he might be thinking of me wanting to rape him.
They don’t treat Nigerians fair enough, if they pay other nationals $800, they will pay a Nigerian $200 for the same job.
All you will hear is that Nigerians are very hard-working.
You know on some occasions, I have gotten some jobs online once they discovered that I am a Nigerian, they will say; ‘I don’t want to employ a Nigerian.’
What else would you want to do in that country?
I will want to import farm produce, like Cocoa and other things that are in high demand.
I will also want to take a course on Cybersecurity.
Where will you be in another 10 years?
I love family, I will be with my family, I will give my mum the best treatment, and thank God my brother is serving in the NYSC.
What advice will you give a female friend coming to Egypt to work and study?
If you are a student it is fine, if it’s work don’t border, if you can save 80k net in Nigeria just stay in Nigeria. If you are in Cairo as a maid you will work for 26 straight days and have 4 days as your vacation you will be paid on the 26th day.
How much do you pay for your apartment?
I pay £3,000/month for my 2 bedroom.
Can you share with a friend?
Of course I do, I have some South African girls as my neighbours.
I pay other bills close to £2,000 and what I earn is £6,000. I must eat and do one or two back home, what will be left for me?
The foundation of my travelling is bad, if I had started with the US, UK, Canada or South Africa, it would have been better for me, I wouldn’t have been in this financial stage.
You can’t work and school in Egypt. If I want to school I will work and save money that will carry me through the duration of my studies until I finish schooling before I can go back to work.
If anyone wants to come on vacation, fine but for Japa there is no future. If you find love you won’t be able to work, if your hubby is not well to do because of the system, you will be left to fend for yourself and your pregnancy.
Have you been to any other country?
I have been to Canada, and I did a practical nurse exam, I scored 53, and it wasn’t up to the cut-off mark so I wasn’t admitted.
Then I came back to Egypt, then I went to jail in 2018.
How did it happen?
A friend that sells illegal stuff earned me that, I went to her shop, and I was with her son while she wasn’t around, so while I was waiting for her, the security operatives came and started to search her shop and they found the stuff, I told them I don’t know anything about it, they refused to listen, and insisted I follow them to the station that was how I was imprisoned for some months after investigation I was left off the hock.
What about the shop owner?
She escaped.
After the jail term, I sold all my belongings and left Egypt angrily, back to Nigeria and started my business, one way or the other the business wasn’t working, I came back with over 10 million, and all of a sudden I got alert from FCMB stating that I have 3,045 left, I felt life was gradually going out of me, it was a terrible experience so that was how I went bankrupt, I went to check all my expenditure and discovered how badly I have spent, I decided to leave Nigeria again, back to Egypt.
