EMMANUAL JAL, SUDANESE WAR CHILD TURNED INSPIRATIONAL RAPPER Emmanuel Jal doesn’t know when he was born; he doesn’t know exactly how old he is. For a seven-year period beginning when he was about 6 years old, he was taken from his home & taught the skills to be a child soldier, fighting for the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Sudan’s civil war. He learned how to fire a machine gun before he could ride a bike & was put into battle carrying an AK47 taller than himself. When he was 13, he, along with some 400 other “child soldiers,” courageously deserted the rebel lines. Sixteen made it to the relative freedom of a refugee camp. Jal was one of them. Music is what kept him going after returning to the “real world.” Warchild is like a diary of his extraordinary experiences. Mixing rap with soul with a world music vibe, Jal tells his incredible story in songs like “Forced to Sin,” “Many Rivers to Cross,” “Baaki Wara,” and the title track & single “Warchild.” In “50 Cent,” he calls out the rapper for not offering a more positive message to his young fans.
The album was mixed and additionally produced by Grammy winner Neal Pogue (Outkast, Talib Kweli, Stevie Wonder, TLC). A feature documentary on Jal’s experience, also entitled “War Child,” recently premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and is currently making the rounds of the major film festivals. An autobiography published by St. Martin’s Press is also near completion. Jal has performed alongside Razorlight, Supergrass and Faithless in Europe, toured the United States as part of the National Geographic All Roads Film Festival, performed at Bob Geldof’s “Live 8” concert and with Moby and Five for Fighting in the 2007 live concert film, The Concert to End Slavery. He has garnered great press coverage including interviews with CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, BBC Asian Network, The Guardian and the Time online. His music can be heard alongside Coldplay, Gorillaz and Radiohead on the fundraising Help: A Day in the Life album. His music has appeared on three ER episodes and the feature film Blood Diamond starring Leonardo DiCaprio. He also appears on Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur amongst the likes of U2, REM and Lenny Kravitz.
“I believe I’ve survived for a reason – to tell my story, to touch lives.” – Emmanuel Jal
* Documentary Trailer courtesy of 18th Street Films: www.warchildmovie.com Cd out 17 May 2008
Posted: Friday, 4 April 2008 |