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
advice china foreign heard policy push war
The only foreign policy advice I heard from China was when they said to Sudan, 'Don't go back to war.' That's all they said. They didn't push anything else.
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.
children war
The wealthiest Sudanese don't know what war is. Their children are safe in school.
allow aside hunger music tragedy uplifted war
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.
time war
The first time I experienced war, I thought the world was ending.
god war land
[During the second Sudanese Civil War] what was actually killing us wasn't the Muslims, wasn't the Arabs. It was somebody sitting somewhere manipulating the system, and using religion to get what they want to get out of us, which is the oil, the diamond, the gold and the land.
amazing lyrics music problem rap writes
Rap music is amazing, it's beautiful. But the problem is the lyrics. The person who writes the lyrics - that's the problem.
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.
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.
deal forces helps inner music outside trying
What music does to me, it helps me balance my inner pressure so that I can deal with the forces outside that are trying to pressure me.
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.
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.