War Child

Emmanuel Jal from southern Sudan has spent his short life as a survivor, convinced God wants him to tell his story. When Emmanuel was seven, his father joined the Sudanese People's Liberation Army, and his mother was killed by government soldiers. Emmanuel was on an escape boat to Ethiopia when it capsized, drowning hundreds of people. But he survived and was recruited into the SPLA in Ethiopia where he became a child soldier, fighting Arab Muslims – and sacrificing his childhood – for five years. A young British aid worker took notice of him and smuggled him to Kenya. That WAR CHILD has grown up to be a popular hip-hop musician who now combines African rhythms, rap, and soul in a call for people to overcome ethnic and religious division. A motivator of youth in Sudan and worldwide, Emmanuel is a spokesman for the Make Poverty History Campaign, the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, and the Control Arms Campaign. He's also building a school in his village in southern Sudan. Emmanuel Jal finds no healing power in anger. Instead, he sings from a powerful conviction: “Sometimes you gotta lose to win. Never give up, never give in.” (In English, Nuer, and Dinka with English subtitles)–B.B.