Donna Rosenblum, library chairperson, Floral Park (NY) Memorial High School
December 7, 2011
When Southern Sudanese musician and former child solider Emmanuel Jal was seven, he had to flee his village. Jal was soon recruited by the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and forced to fight in his nation's bloody civil war. His best friend at the time? An AK-47 assault rifle. Our students recently heard Jal's amazing story firsthand, when he appeared at a school assembly.
After living through years of horrific experiences, Jal told our students, he and a few hundred child soldiers decided to run away from the SPLA. They trekked for three months to Waat, a village in South Sudan. Many children died along the way, but when Jal reached Waat, he met Emma McCune, a British aid worker who smuggled the 11-year-old Jal to Kenya and later adopted him and sent him to school in Nairobi. Unfortunately, McCune was killed in a car accident, leaving Jal once again an orphan. But he didn't give up. While Jal was in Kenya, he began singing to ease the pain of his past experiences and he eventually became an internationally know rap musician. Jal believes that he survived those years of violence for a reason and now days he strives to help the people of Sudan and works for world peace-which is why he travels around the globe sharing his experiences with students.
To help prevent future genocides, Jal has also spearheaded the "We Want Peace" (WWP) campaign, which seeks to raise awareness of the fundamental principles of justice, equality, unification, and conflict prevention through the power of music. WWP's supporters now include musicians Alicia Keys and Peter Gabriel, actor George Clooney, former United Nation's Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and former U.S. president Jimmy Carter. Listening to Jal's hit single We Want Peace" and watching his music video had our students dancing in their seats. Although some of Jal's experiences are tough to listen to, our students found his story riveting and uplifting. Jal also performed his song "Rescue Me," dedicated to McCune, the woman who saved his life, and again he rocked the house. Just the night before, I'd watched a YouTube clip of him singing the song at a 2008 concert in honor of Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday, and I couldn't believe that he was at our school performing the same song for us.
Jal also told us about his "Lose to Win" campaign. In December 2008, he decided to eat only one meal a day to raise money to build a primary school in Sudan in McCune's honor. He joked that with his new-found celebrity status he thought he'd reach his goal in a month. Instead, it took 661 days. When others became aware of his cause, they also began giving up meals to raise money. Now, anyone can join the "Lose to Win" campaign (to register, visit its website)—by giving up something, you can enrich your life and benefit someone else's. Proceeds from the campaign go to the charities Gua Africa, My Start, and the Africa Yoga Project. After hearing Jal's inspiring story, I'd say that our school is well on the way to losing to win!
This article originally appeared in School Library Journal's enewsletter SLJTeen. Subscribe here.
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