Emmanuel Jal

Emmanuel Jal (born c. 1980) is a Sudanese musician and former child soldier.

Childhood

Born in the village of Tonj out Southern Sudan, he was a little boy when the civil war broke out. Emmanuel’s father joined the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and when he was about seven years old his mother died. Emmanuel then decided to join the thousands of children travelling to Ethiopia who had been told that they could be educated there. “I didn’t have a life as a child. In five years as a fighting boy, what was in my heart was to kill as many Muslims as possible.”

However, many of the children, Emmanuel included, were recruited by the SPLA and taken to military training camps in the bush in Ethiopia. The camp was disguised as a school in front of international aid agencies and UN representatives, but behind closed doors the children were training to fight. Emmanuel spent several years fighting with the SPLA in Ethiopia, until war broke out there too and the child soldiers were forced back into Sudan by the fighting and joined the SPLA's efforts to fight the government in the town of Juba. "Many kids there were so bitter, they wanted to know what happened to them. And we all wanted revenge." [Tewksbury, Drew. "Emmanuel Jal" Flaunt Magazine May 2008. [http://drewtewksbury.com/2008/07/18/emmanuel-jal/] ]

When the fighting became unbearable Emmanuel and some other children decided to run away. They were on the move for three months, with many dying on the way, until they reached the town of Waat, which was the headquarter on a small group that had separated themselves from the main SPLA.

In ((Waat)) Emmanuel met Emma McCune, a British aid worker married to senior SPLA commandant Riek Machar. Emmanuel was only 11 years old then and McCune insisted he should not be a soldier. She adopted him and smuggled him to Kenya. There Emmanuel attended school in Nairobi. McCune died in a road accident a few months later, but her friends helped Emmanuel to continue his studies.

Music

While studying in Kenya, Emmanuel started singing to ease the pain of what he has experienced. He also became very active in the community, raising money for local street children and refugees. With the encouragement of those around him, Emmanuel became increasingly involved in music and formed several groups. His first single, "All We Need Is Jesus," was a hit in Kenya and received airplay in the UK.

Through his music, Emmanuel Jal counts on the unity of the citizens to overcome ethnic and religious division and motivate the youth in Sudan. After escaping to Kenya, he fell in love with hip hop in the way that it identified issues being faced by the neighborhood, which he was able to identify with in a unique manner. Although he lacked any music background or knowledge of its history, he felt that hip-hop could provide the easiest and most effective path to publicize across his story and lobby for political change. [ "Sudanese Survivor." The Irish Times 11 Aug. 2006: 5. LexisNexis Academic. 8 Apr. 2008.] His primary aim has been, through music, to protect the childhood of others, which was unfairly robbed from him at a young age. "Music is powerful. It is the only thing that can speak into your mind, your heart and your soul without your permission." [ Batey, Angus. "I Just Wanted to Kill." The Guardian 8 Apr. 2008. 18 Apr. 2008 .] Through his heartfelt lyrics, he opens the world up to the corruption and greed of the Sudanese government. According to Jal, in times of war, starvation, hunger and injustice, the only way to survive the daily tragedy in Sudan is to allow the inner-soul to be uplifted through music, which is like soul food to heal pain. His unique brand of hip hop, layered with African beats, has led him to be considered one of the rising stars in the world music scene. Prior to Jal, rapping in Southern Sudan was primarily in the local language of Nuer and artists used sticks and clapping hands in place of instruments. Central to the themes of his songs is the campaign for peace of opposing sides in Sudan and the clear message that children have no place in wars.

He went on to produce his first album, "Gua", a mix of rap in Arabic, English, Kiswahili, Dinka and Nuer. The symbolism of unity is expressed in the title, meaning both "good" in Nuer and "power" in (Sudanese) Arabic. His lyrics illustrate the desires of the Sudanese people to return to a peaceful, independent homeland. Although the only hip hop Jal had ever listened to was American, while he was in Kenya, the beat to “Gua” is not the usual American hip hop, but rather is strongly African. The title track, also called "Gua", was a number one hit in Kenya and featured on "The Rough Guide To The Music Of Sudan" and "Help: A Day In The Life", bringing together some of Britain’s best known on a CD in aid of children in conflict zones (produced by [http://www.warchild.org.uk War Child] ).

His next single, “War Child,” mixes rap with soul to produce a world music vibe. He begins with telling his story through powerful lyrics; “I’m a war child / I believe I’ve survive for a reason / To tell my story, to touch lives.” [ Boustany, Nora. "Emmanuel Jal: a Child of War, a Voice of Peace." Washington Post 6 Jan. 2008. 13 Apr. 2008 .] He continues the song with the narrative of his life and the pain inflicted upon him. “Written in English, Jal's second language, the new album [War-Child] may lack the poetic gymnastics of hip-hop's more fluent stars, but the plainness of the words - half-spoken, half-chanted over a mix of hip-hop and African-flavored choruses - keeps the focus on the story.” [Batey, Angus. "I Just Wanted to Kill."] His powerful words spread the message of what he has been through, and what many are still living with now.

His second album, "Ceasefire", was released in September 2005 and includes a re-recording of "Gua". This album is a collaboration with the well known Sudanese Muslim musician Abdel Gadir Salim and brings together opposing sides of the conflict, and different music traditions, to a common ground of the wish for peace in Sudan. The collaboration represents a vision for the future, as two Sudanese men, a Christian and a Muslim, unify and pave the way to overcome differences peacefully. Both musicians endured unimaginable adversity to become important figures, not only in music, but in the future of a country. They accentuate the differences between them and their musical styles, as a symbol of co-existence. The album preaches in four languages, encompasses every type of music in one, in an effort to transform the sound of hope into musical form. “Ceasefire” is not only the sound of two men collaborating on a musical project, but more symbolically, two halves of a divided nation learning to trust each other. This album's version of "Gua" was played on the American television series "ER" at the very end of the Season 12 episode "There Are No Angels Here" (aired on May 4, 2006).

Recognized for his captivating story, Emmanuel Jal uses this platform as a role model to passionately criticize the current state of hip hop culture in the United States. He sees hip hop as a vehicle to communicate an authentic message, rather than a space to pursue street credibility. “As well as simply being great songs, people are really getting into the lyrics, really understanding his message, and he is a great role model.” [ Crilly, Rob. "Ex-Child Soldier Now Kenya's Hottest Rapper." USA Today 13 Mar. 2005. 14 Apr. 2008 .] The only foundation Jal had in hip hop was through the spread of the American style, one in which he feels sends a message, but not necessarily the correct one. “American hip hop is still entwined with gang culture, drugs, sexual violence, and greed. It’s a battleground.” [Ireland, Corydon. "Conference Brings Out Pacific Potential of African Hip-Hop." Harvard University Gazette Online 20 Mar. 2008. 7 Apr. 2008 . ] His song, “50 Cent,” speaks to the successful American rapper to change his violent messages, which have a destructive influence on children, as exemplified through his “Bulletproof” videogame. "You have done enough damage selling crack cocaine/now you got a kill a black man video game/We have lost a whole generation through this lifestyle/now you want to put it in the game for a little child to play..." ["Emmanuel Jal Warchild." Sonic360. 9 Apr. 2008 . ]

Emmanuel is a spokesman for the Make Poverty History campaign, the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers and the Control Arms campaign. Among other places he performed at the Live 8 Concert in Cornwall this summer. He was awarded a 2005 American Gospel Music Award for best international artist.

A documentary about Emmanuel Jal called "War Child" was made in 2008 by 18th Street Films. It made its international debut at the Berlin Film Festival and its North American debut at the Tribeca Film Festival, where it won the Cadillac Audience Award. [http://www.warchildmovie.com]

Emmanuel's third album, "Warchild", is released by Sonic360 Records in the UK on May 12th, 2008. Emmanuel, along with an all-star line-up, will perform songs at Nelson Mandela's 90th Birthday concert at London's Hyde Park on June 27th, 2008.

Discography

Gua album Emmanuel Jal genesis
* A Day In The Life - ? - War Child
* Ceasefire - 2005 - Riverboat
* Warchild - 2008

References

External links

* [http://www.warchildmovie.com/ War Child Movie]
* [http://www.emmanueljalonline.net/ www.emmanueljalonline.net]
* [http://www.myspace.com/emmanueljal Myspace page for Emmanuel Jal]
* [http://www.sonic.com/emmanueljal Official Page]
* [http://mtvbase.com/mtvbaseafrica.com/music/article.jhtml?backLink=profiles&id=40133475 MTV Base Africa profile: Emmanuel Jal]
* [http://drewtewksbury.com/2008/07/18/emmanuel-jal/ Flaunt Magazine Emmanuel Jal Feature]