Artist Spotlight, Emmanuel Jal

Artist spotlight for the month of August goes to the impeccable Emmanuel Jal. 

Recently, I had the opportunity to hear a speech by Jal, a man who grew up as a child soldier in Sudan. The story of his triumphs over extreme adversity is best described as courageous, powerful, and insightful.

In 1980, Emmanuel Jal was born in the village of Tonj in Southern Sudan. At a young age, Jal had to experience the ruthlessness of the Second Sudanese Civil War. This war took the life of his mother and caused the displacement of many of Jal’s siblings. 

The war was a conflict between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army. It currently holds the highest civilian death toll since World War II.

After the death of his mother, Jal decided to join the thousands of children traveling to Ethiopia to pursue a better life and education. However, many of those children including Jal were being recruited by the SPLA to fight as child soldiers.  Jal would fight for five years until the fighting became too unbearable for him.

Jal and many of his friends decided to run away.  Their journey would bring many hardships and many of Jal’s friends died along the way. However, their journey would finally bring a happy ending to the young Jal.

After arriving in the town of Waat in southern Sudan, Jal would meet Emma McCune.

Mrs. McCune was a British aid worker who was married to a Senior SPLA commandant.  Jal was only 11 at the time and Mrs. McCune insisted that Jal was too young to be a soldier. 

She eventually did the unthinkable and adopted Jal. She smuggled him to Kenya and made sure he was being properly educated. But tragedy struck again and his guardian angel would pass in a vehicle accident months after her brave rescue of Jal. After her death, Jal was forced to live in the slums of Kenya. Nevertheless, music became his will to survive.

His love for Hip Hop and education allowed Jal to help his community and start his activism.  His efforts would eventually catch the UK airwaves, which would launch his successful career as an international hip-hop artist.

His story is extremely motivational. If you would like to learn more about this artist check out Ted.com and watch the speech that changed my life. Also, if you want to support his activism check out his website wewantpeace2012.org.

Last but not least, check out his music and hear the buzz surrounding this real life international hero.