Emmanuel Jal
Emmanuel Jal
Emmanuel Jalis a South Sudanese-Canadian musician, former child soldier, and political activist. His autobiography, War Child: A Child Soldier's Story, was published in 2009...
NationalitySudanese
ProfessionActivist
Date of Birth1 January 1980
CountrySudan
change lack models people
We lack role models who can inspire our young people to make change.
continue people
What I always wanted to do when I was a kid was to speak out and help people which I continue to do afterwards.
beggars came knew shocked streets
I was shocked when I came to New Orleans. I never knew there were beggars on the streets here. I didn't know that there were poor people. I thought this was Heaven, you know?
music
Music moves my emotions because music loosens me up.
enter music
Music - it's the only thing that can enter your system, your mind, your heart, without your permission.
affects destroys heal invisible lifetime lives people physical war
War destroys people's souls. Most people focus on physical injuries, but the invisible injuries can take a lifetime to heal and affects the lives of generations to come.
people sing
When I listen to hip-hop, it's like no big difference how people sing in my village, 'cause bling would be their cow.
allowed dead die future gone grew mean people time
As a child, I didn't know what they mean by 'to die.' So I grew up in a place where people used to die all the time, but a child is not allowed to see a dead body. When you ask, 'Where is so-and so?' you're told, 'He's gone to another world where we all go to live in the future.'
advise clears creates entertainment industry mind others performing stillness
I would advise dancers, musicians and others in the entertainment industry to take up yoga, as it clears the mind and creates a sense of balance and stillness which is important for any performing artist.
crippling ways
When you don't educate the people, you're crippling them. You are, you're not giving them ways to survive.
There's no pride in having been a child soldier.
excited fake people weird
I'm kind of weird - I don't get excited. Sometimes I fake that I'm excited just to make people happy.
When you see a Sudanese walking on the street, there is a story.
anyone fighting found hard kept mentality time
When I first went to school, I was fighting all the time. The soldier mentality was still in me. I kept getting expelled. I found it hard to take instructions from anyone who wasn't a military commander.