For most of us who wish to make a difference in the world, all we can do is sympathize and try to understand the circumstances that those in need have been subjugated to. We empathize with all our hearts but even then it is impossible to comprehend the level of anguish felt by these people. Only when one has lived a life filled with such grief can they truly know the problem in its entirety and in what ways to best remedy it. Emmanuel Jal is one such person. Recruited by the Sudanese rebels to aid in their fight against the government at age seven, Jal fought for the next four years until a British aid worker rescued him and brought him to Kenya. From there Jal turned to music to help ease the pain of what he had experienced and spread the word to help others that were forced into the same life he was. Today Emmanuel Jal has gained worldwide acclaim as a hip-hop artist and his music has been featured in documentaries, television shows, movies and fundraising events such as the “Warchild – Help a Day in the Life” album.
Born in the village of Tonj, Warrap State in Southern Sudan, Jal was still a young boy when the Second Sudanese Civil War erupted. Lasting from 1983 to 2005, the bloody conflict stemming from ethnic, religious and political reasons and directly or indirectly claimed the lives of roughly two million people. His father joined the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, the “rebels,” and when he was just seven years old government soldiers killed his mother. Jal, along with many other children were soon recruited into the SPLA and taken to training camps in the bush. These training camps were disguised as schools so that international aid agencies and UN representatives couldn’t intervene. After several years of fighting and surviving, Jal and some of the other child soldiers decided they couldn’t bear that lifestyle anymore and decided to run away. They fled to the town of Waat where a group existed that had broken away from the SPLA. There Jal met Emma McCune, a British aid worker who was married to senior SPLA commandant Riek Machar. McCune adopted Jal and smuggled him to Kenya where he attended school in Nairobi. However McCune was soon killed in a car accident and her husband did not wish to live with Jal anymore, forcing Jal to live in the slums.
It was in the slums where Jal discovered hip-hop music and came to the realization that this was a perfect outlet for him to convey his message. While he had no formal vocal or musical training, his powerful and relate-able lyrics gained him instant popularity. His first single, “All We Need is Jesus” was a great success in Kenya. It was around this time that Jal became active in his community, raising money for refugees and children living on the street. His first album, Gua, which means both peace in Nuer and power in Sudanese Arabic, illustrated the longing of the Sudanese people to go back to a peaceful and sovereign homeland. Mixing together hip-hop and African beats, the album was another huge success.
Jal’s second album, Ceasefire, was a group effort with the popular Sudanese Muslim musician Abd El Gadir Salim, bringing together both sides of the conflict to advocate for a peaceful Sudan. The album symbolizes a powerful union, one that may have been thought impossible, and provides a basis to push forward on a path of unity and peace. In the album they highlighted their differences in not only musical styles but also themselves as people to further indicate that peaceful coexistence is in fact possible.
Jal is committed to defending the childhood of others as he lost his own and does not wish for that to happen to anyone else. He strives to use his music to accomplish this as he views it as a way to be brought about the conflict. Jal stated, “In times of war, starvation, hunger and injustice, such tragedy can only be put aside if you allow yourself to be uplifted through music, film and dance. It can be used to communicate messages to the masses and create awareness, to influence the people positively.” He uses Bob Marley as an example as Marley’s message is still being heard around the world today. In addition to his music, Jal has founded the charity Gua Africa, a nonprofit that builds schools, provides scholarships for Sudanese war survivors, and sponsors education for children in the most rundown slum areas in Nairobi. His organization was granted full UK charity status in April of 2008 and was granted NGO status not long after. In addition, Jal partook in a “lose to win challenge,” an event where people lose something in order to help those who are less fortunate gain something in return. For the duration of the challenge Jal gave up his home and lived as a modern day nomad while eating only one meal a day to raise awareness for the cause. The result of the challenge was the building of a school in Leer, Southern Sudan in Emma McCune’s honor.
Emmanuel Jal is a truly inspirational figure. Rising from the ashes of a life of violence and unspeakable acts, he has proved to be a beacon of hope and a powerful advocate of peace. Few have the fortitude and willpower to not only overcome the obstacles that were put in Jal’s path, but to push forward and seek to right the wrongs being done in the world.
Born in the village of Tonj, Warrap State in Southern Sudan, Jal was still a young boy when the Second Sudanese Civil War erupted. Lasting from 1983 to 2005, the bloody conflict stemming from ethnic, religious and political reasons and directly or indirectly claimed the lives of roughly two million people. His father joined the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, the “rebels,” and when he was just seven years old government soldiers killed his mother. Jal, along with many other children were soon recruited into the SPLA and taken to training camps in the bush. These training camps were disguised as schools so that international aid agencies and UN representatives couldn’t intervene. After several years of fighting and surviving, Jal and some of the other child soldiers decided they couldn’t bear that lifestyle anymore and decided to run away. They fled to the town of Waat where a group existed that had broken away from the SPLA. There Jal met Emma McCune, a British aid worker who was married to senior SPLA commandant Riek Machar. McCune adopted Jal and smuggled him to Kenya where he attended school in Nairobi. However McCune was soon killed in a car accident and her husband did not wish to live with Jal anymore, forcing Jal to live in the slums.
It was in the slums where Jal discovered hip-hop music and came to the realization that this was a perfect outlet for him to convey his message. While he had no formal vocal or musical training, his powerful and relate-able lyrics gained him instant popularity. His first single, “All We Need is Jesus” was a great success in Kenya. It was around this time that Jal became active in his community, raising money for refugees and children living on the street. His first album, Gua, which means both peace in Nuer and power in Sudanese Arabic, illustrated the longing of the Sudanese people to go back to a peaceful and sovereign homeland. Mixing together hip-hop and African beats, the album was another huge success.
Jal’s second album, Ceasefire, was a group effort with the popular Sudanese Muslim musician Abd El Gadir Salim, bringing together both sides of the conflict to advocate for a peaceful Sudan. The album symbolizes a powerful union, one that may have been thought impossible, and provides a basis to push forward on a path of unity and peace. In the album they highlighted their differences in not only musical styles but also themselves as people to further indicate that peaceful coexistence is in fact possible.
Jal is committed to defending the childhood of others as he lost his own and does not wish for that to happen to anyone else. He strives to use his music to accomplish this as he views it as a way to be brought about the conflict. Jal stated, “In times of war, starvation, hunger and injustice, such tragedy can only be put aside if you allow yourself to be uplifted through music, film and dance. It can be used to communicate messages to the masses and create awareness, to influence the people positively.” He uses Bob Marley as an example as Marley’s message is still being heard around the world today. In addition to his music, Jal has founded the charity Gua Africa, a nonprofit that builds schools, provides scholarships for Sudanese war survivors, and sponsors education for children in the most rundown slum areas in Nairobi. His organization was granted full UK charity status in April of 2008 and was granted NGO status not long after. In addition, Jal partook in a “lose to win challenge,” an event where people lose something in order to help those who are less fortunate gain something in return. For the duration of the challenge Jal gave up his home and lived as a modern day nomad while eating only one meal a day to raise awareness for the cause. The result of the challenge was the building of a school in Leer, Southern Sudan in Emma McCune’s honor.
Emmanuel Jal is a truly inspirational figure. Rising from the ashes of a life of violence and unspeakable acts, he has proved to be a beacon of hope and a powerful advocate of peace. Few have the fortitude and willpower to not only overcome the obstacles that were put in Jal’s path, but to push forward and seek to right the wrongs being done in the world.