Francis Ngannou Details Working in Sand mines at Age 10

One of the things that I read about you was that you worked in a sand mine when you were young That you dug sand all day. Yeah, that was growing up I was 10 about 10 years old when I started out because I was in the village and Where where I grew up after my living my end house I went to my grandma and we had to like do something, you know We had to work to contribute at home to buy oil to buy food and also for our scholarship for books, so we have to do you have to work and That's how we started even though you that work was Meant for adult, but we didn't have any option So we take what we had at the time growing up doing something like that That's got to first of all. It had to be very difficult like very digging sand Yeah It's also your body must develop very strong from doing something like that at 10 years old Like as you're growing as you're maturing doing something that's that difficult. I mean it must have made you really fucking strong Uh, yeah, I I hope so But what I was obviously it did but it's just genetics too There's a lot of good things that that came your way that way But but also the difficulty of doing something when you're that young such hard labor I mean it had to teach you discipline there had to be like some pos it's terrible that you had to do that at 10 Yeah, there had to be some positive Aspects of it some positive repercussions of oh definitely. I mean I Didn't like like my heart life And I felt I always feel like I miss my childhood Like it's something missing in it because it's been so much Fustration yeah my life, you know Like I had to work by that age and he wasn't enough like When this when school started when school starts all the time I gonna go to school and most of the time still didn't have a Pen to take note or a notebook to write on it sometimes no shoes or clothes just have to wear like my uniform was tear all although all over and I Was frustrated to look around and see other kids looking good You know they went to the vikit they went in vacation to this family member came back with all brand new stuff and I was just there looking crappy with my I Have I had to like take my old book and look for empty page to take a note Expecting hoping that when I have a book I will copy the note from this year in the new book Then at first I have to use the I always had to use the old book and most of the time Teachers they don't understand why you don't have a book. They don't understand why you don't have a pen sometimes it just think that you didn't tell your parents you should Tell your parents so they can pay for you they don't understand that you can not just afford it, you know, your parent can't and and They'll kill you out from the classroom. Maybe just to say go tell your parents and And you couldn't tell them we can't afford it. You didn't want to say it then They knew but What can they do? Nothing, you know because most of the time is gonna be even with the money that I work that they're gonna buy my pen or my book, but You work sometime and they don't pay you right away. It's maybe after month You know, so all the process and sometimes they'll just kick you out from the school because of the Scholarship fee You have you haven't paid on time so they kick you out. So I was a subject I was subject of shame to other kids, you know, because all the time when they kick you out in front of 5060 Student is not a good thing, you know, and I couldn't have a friend because you know how things work you have to be able to bring something on the table to Enjoy, you know, but since you don't even have a pen or a book to take note to take note nobody expect you to Bring a lunch Lunch or to buy something in the Break break time to share with them so they don't want to share with you Since they don't have any hope that you will have something to share with them and I was always in retreat always stay in retreat and that's how I Technically grew up by myself. I end up like not even trying to have a friend I'm like, okay. This is my situation. Maybe I just I feel Okay, just retreat myself Not just to try all the time and get shame of it all the time You know always I retreat and don't have to deal with these people with their opinion on me and But that motivated me at some point. I'm like Tim look This kid they are looking at me like I'm I was nothing but technically I was more than them because I'm working, you know Even though what I have is less than what they have I Do serve what I have I work hard for it and they don't do they don't work They don't deserve shade that just a kid the work and the apparent provide for them I'm not just lucky. I'm not just lucky to have the chance, but I'm still trying which mean I'm not bad at the end of the day, you know, so That's that push me to like from there. I Wanted something to prove them wrong. I'm like, okay, I cannot do something that can approve this kid done I'm not beneath them so that gave you motivation Yes that gave me motivation because that frustration I was full of frustration and I want to like Drive this into something like I have to prove them. I can't go to the party I can't be between I can have friend as anyone and I have to work hard than anyone, you know My schools was like my Middle school was I think About six miles from home So it took me almost two hours to get at school. See what? Yeah, so I work around about two hours and Before meet the first student is at least after like 40 minute work You know, so I have to wake up at five just get ready start work Some time with not not eating then I get to school and the school Close at maybe four to five But since I didn't eat in the morning By noon one or two, I'm hungry. I'm starving. I can't take it anymore I will leave school sometime, you know, just because I was hungry or if I if I have a chance if I had a chance to Have breakfast or something. I won't eat before I leave home because I know if I eat at five or six I'll get hungry early. I'll take it at school So it may be around 10 so I can resist on to the end you know and that's how I I did it my this entire time so my my process was all different form from other kids and and Nobody could have understand that you know He was just on me and I was the only one knowing what I'm dealing with Exactly to get there. So and all those things keep kept frustrating me I'm like I can assure this I gonna show them like how long did you have to work in these sand mines? Until I left school until I find out I left school I was 17 and Then I keep doing it and then so you did it from 10 to 17 you did it all through school Yeah, and what that was the only thing to do right? When did you do it? I'll give you went to school during the day. When did you work in the sand mines over the weekend over the holidays because I never Have a chance to go to I never had a chance to go to holiday even for the summer a holiday, which is like three months that would be Because we have a tropical climate. So at that moment we have two season Wet season and dry season and that's a wet season. So it's almost rain all the time Kids go to vacation and all those stuff Adult doesn't want to work because he's raining all the time Guess what? That was our opportunity when they don't want to work. So we have a chance to work Otherwise they will come back to their job. We will not have job You know, so that was a good opportunity to work under the rain all the time Like get back home shaking because all day long it's been raining. So you have to stay active Because as as soon as you stop working moving you get cold you just get freezing so you get active it forced you to stay active and to work even more and Our employer will love that because you work even more than normal and yeah, so that's how we We do it and sometime after school I will stop at the Sun mine if I have like a quick job, maybe if a truck comes and They have to load it if I have a place to load because you load they give money to share You get something sometime sometime not and When I was the kid most of the time they kick you out. Although didn't want you on it I'm like hey get away off here, you know because the less there are more money they get Don't want you to fuck around Really? I saw that you went you went back Recently and you taking photos of you in the sand mine where you worked as a boy But I see that on Instagram. Yeah, what was that like? I Always do that. Yeah. Yeah. I mean when I'm home I Always like to do that. It's kind of like He really hurts me to remember Everything like where I came from how he was, you know Every time that I get when I that I go back home I will go back to those all those places that I used to Work there. I I hated this thing growing up. Oh, you can imagine I hated this and mine everything I hated my life But today it seems like if you for my life today, I have to feel it if you're up from that life Go back there cities because most people there are still people that we grew up together and he allows me to see how far I came from you know, like I Think is them the moment that I enjoyed the most is like those moment, you know going back Go to my House that I grew up into even though we fix it today is not the same but the environment sleeping have all this nostalgic Wake at five o'clock all this animal sounds from outside the bed the bed Bets all those sound was which is like very familiar bring you back from 20 to 25 years ago the smells everything Reminds you something and this always my best moment like I Can go there and Live in the five-star hotel do some crazy stuff, but he doesn't I don't I don't enjoy that as much like I Don't know how to explain it. But I always do it like always go back to the Sun mine This is like a tradition. No Just for them because he has me I like it. I Feel like okay, you know, it's kind of like taking my revenge of life like, okay, I used to be here Thinking days thinking that dreaming of these dreaming of that today. I have this look that's my car Look, that's my truck Yeah, look that's my house look this my life I gonna fly back to America even though I'm here You know, yeah, so It's like living a dream because back then that was just a dream a crazy dream unbelievable So I'm living into it right now like yes Doing this 20 years ago. I was dreaming like man How it is to be in the airplane going somewhere imagine yourself being the airplane going to America or to France or something? Wow, and I go back I do the same shit. I'm like guess what? I'm going back to America in one week Right living the dream. Yeah. Yeah, and so it just just reminds you just yeah puts you back in that place. Yeah and What is crazy is like most of the time is gonna be with the same guy that I grew up with That in the same place doing the same thing and what is it like for them? Do they ask you questions like? You know And that's why I feel very lucky Just to have a different mindset just to even have a dream Because they don't even have a dream most of those people like if you ask them like, okay What do you what is your dream? Well, where would you like to be in like one years? Five years from now doesn't know he gave up long time ago He doesn't give a shit about it as soon as as long as he has something to eat Before go to bed, it's okay. That's it. I'm like, how can somebody leave like this? That is their life. You can't do anything. I'm like Then you will find someone some people Which is little different they are like they have a dream. They're hoping to Change their life those people over years you can see the change in their life Improvement step by step like this year they're gonna say I want to do this. I wish I can do this Next year guess what? Even though they didn't do that They didn't get that done they get closer and yes year and next year and next year to move up But those who doesn't have a dream You know, it's just there like that Do you find some of the people there that do have a dream look at you and they get inspired? They say yeah. Yeah those who has and I think that's even where some of the reason who keep me going back and like even in the foundation Like once I had like a really good friend of mine This guy is in the village and he's doing good. He's doing his businesses Doing good for a village guy Like sometime I will come there. He'll even give me like a whiskey find a good whiskey for me And he said man, you know, like you just going in America and come back here Means a lot to us like we grow up together. That's mean is possible for us to that To drive us through our dream like motivate us like yes if Francis did it I mean I Might don't do the same thing, but I can get to what I want to you know, and I'm like, thank you I I really appreciate his world and he was like very humble explaining me things and Yeah, and that's why I also like doing my foundation Like I like to like tell this kid like listen, I'm not a Fairy tale. I'm not a story that you watch on TV That you read in the book I'm a fact I grew up here most of you Knew me before I even I even live here Which mean is possible, you know as long as you believe in something in a dream As long as you have a dream and believe in yourself. 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