Emmanuel's story..

"War Child" got many reactions from all.. Thanks! Yes, I had an opportunity to meet Emmanuel in person, and hear his story firsthand. Yes, he did rap for us, and it was mind blowing.. The whole auditorium was on feet.. You guys wanna meet Emmanuel? Let me present to you, my rendezvous with Emmanuel..


An excerpt from a paper I had to write for a class:

"The presentation titled, “Performance for Peace: A Diary of Darfur” was an opportunity to make myself aware of the conflict in the Sub-Saharan Africa. Emmanuel Jal, a former child soldier, and a current hip-hop artist presented his story from the war torn region of Sudan. His struggle for survival, the story of pain and anguish, the tears of loss and agony touched every individual present in the packed Memorial Hall. The standing ovation he received spoke of the admiration for the will power of humans to survive all odds. His story was one of the most extreme stories I have ever heard. One of the incidences he narrated was about how, when he was starving for a few days in row, he had a thought of eating his own friend, who was himself dying of hunger. Emmanuel, then a child, saw an adult in his group eating dead people around, and so, in utter despair, accepted it as a fact. The personal conflict he went through, to arrive to this conclusion, and the innocent demand to God to save him of this sin, brought to light the innate goodness in every human being. His conflict was resolved, when incidentally within a few hours, he could shoot a crow to feed his hunger. But, this could not save his friend, who was too weak to survive. "

So, if you have not yet laid your hands on the book, 'oh mann', what are you doing?? ;)