As a human, Benjamin grew up in the slums of Cairo. As a young child, he lost his mother, and he had no knowledge of his father. He was raised by his mother's extended family, handed around from grandmother to aunt to cousin — whoever was able to feed him at the time. Eventually he ended up in the hands of his mother's uncle, a street performer who took in unwanted young members of the family and taught them to dance and sing for money, sell trinkets, or pick pockets — whatever they were most adept at doing.