Nollywood actor Ebisan Arayi has traced his values as both a man and a performer back to a traditional upbringing that began with his grandmother and extended through his entire family.
On the Conversations With Kenni podcast hosted by Kehinde Ajose, the actor was asked how culture has shaped him.
“First off, I grew up with my grandmother and that meant being brought up to respect culture for what it is. You must follow the norms. You must be ethical. You must be morally inclined. You must wake up and greet your elders. You must know when to carry a lady’s bag. You must know you can’t let elders carry heavy things,” Arayi said.
He described a childhood surrounded by people who lived by those rules.
“I’ve been brought up from that perspective through my grandmother’s eyes and experience into my mother’s arms, my father’s arms, my uncle’s arms, and my aunt’s arms. I’ve had a whole society of people who believe in culture to train me and that has helped shape me in the sense that I’m the man that I am today knowing that we must be moral.”
Arayi stressed that culture also taught him there are real consequences for crossing certain lines.
“In everything we do, we must know that there’re consequences when we go against certain moralities that our culture has taught us. For example, if you steal, you’ll get beaten and ridiculed. Biblically, you’re going to hell. So we know that we shouldn’t veer into areas that are not okay morally to culture or to the general public. Nobody wants to be called a thief.”
He summed up the lesson that still guides him.
“At least, I’ve had my parents train me in that direction and has shaped me to be that way I am today, knowing a good name is better than gold and silver.”
The actor’s comments offer a window into how traditional Nigerian values of respect, ethics and reputation continue to influence newer generations. For Arayi, those early lessons remain the foundation of the man he presents both on screen and off.