From child soldier to peace ambassador: a hip hop star talks about healing

By CAROLINE TUNG

Emmanuel Jal believed his father when told he would be going to school in Ethiopia.

But instead, at the tender age of eight, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) came and took him away. 

Jal became a trained soldier by age 10, already used to facing death. 

“It was devastating to be in a situation like that,” Jal says. “You lose your mind, you know … it’s too much.”

Last year, about 1300 child soldiers were recruited in South Sudan.

Now a musician and activist, Jal founded the charity Gua Africa to promote children’s education to continue the legacy of learning instilled in him as a child. He is in Melbourne to talk about the importance of education and empathy in an event organised by the School of Life.

Jal says he was “blessed” with the opportunity to go to school when he was rescued by British aid worker Emma McClune and smuggled into Kenya at age 13.  

“[The aid worker] later died but that’s my life forward, struggling with traumatic experiences and getting to gain myself back in order, getting my mind in order,” Jal says.

The second Sudanese civil war claimed his mother and destroyed the entire village. 

“Having gun in your hand, you feel like you’re powerful, it’s so addictive,” Jal says.

“You’ve been given a weapon, a child, there was a joy in me that I can take my village back, now I can avenge, now an adult person is going to take me seriously.”  

Reminiscing on the simplicity of village life in what is now South Sudan, the international hip hop star  has fond memories of his early life. 

“Having cows in the village, people walking naked, simplicity,” Jal says. 

“We just lived with the environment, the community together [and there was] a lot of music.” 

Today, Jal uses his story to teach others through storytelling, poetry, singing, and lyrics, while using his past as a “drawing board”. 

He says every problem one encounters in life is a “blessing”.  

“That problem will either eat you, or you eat the problem,” Jal says. “The more problems you have, the better, because if you can solve them, it increases your value.” 

Jal believes modern society has taken empathy away, but says people are “going back to it”. 

“We empathise with one another, we practise [it] and pursue,” he says. 

Jal is attracted to Melbourne for the city’s diversity, and hopes to make a difference by connecting with the local community. 

“A lot of refugees live in Melbourne, it’s a multicultural [city],” he says. 

“There’s a lot of gang violence happening here and I thought I should come and connect with the young people and … make an impact.” 

Speaking to Jal, whose voice is full of love and faith, it’s not hard to see how he has transformed. 

“My desire was to kill as many Muslims and Arabs as possible, if it not for education helping me begin to change,” he says of his time as a child fighter. 

Jal credits education for transforming his mind and bringing him to where he is today. 

 “If I never had an education to enhance the skills I have genetically, I wouldn’t be here,” he says.  

Jal believes every child is destined to learn, and considers education a human right. 

“It’s their right, they’re born to learn, they’re curious, they ask questions all the time,” he says. “You give them the best opportunity, they become the change that we want to see.”  

Emmanuel Jal on Empathy & Education is at the Clemenger Auditorium, NGV, on Monday April 3 at 6.15pm. Tickets $35/$25.  Details: The School of Life