SPONSORED BY:
Stuart Wilson / Getty Images
Jal in London, March 25, 2007

“I Can’t Believe I’m a Human Being”

Once a child soldier, Emmanuel Jal is now an African hip-hop artist. A journey from war and starvation to the five-star comforts of fame.

 

Email To A Friend

Please fill in the following information and we'll email this link.

Separate multiple addresses with commas

SPONSORED BY
 

Popular hip-hop artists are not usually the silent type. But Emmanuel Jal, one of Africa's up-and-coming rappers, is hardly typical. As a preadolescent boy Jal carried an AK-47 for the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army. He once was so hungry in the bush that he was tempted to eat the flesh of a dead friend. During a recent visit to Washington, D.C., however, he was staying at the five-star Willard Hotel. A promoter for a forthcoming documentary called “War Child” needed Jal to help market the film, which is about Jal's life—before and after he was rescued by a British aid worker. But Jal was suffering bouts of fatigue and depression. He could hardly muster the energy to answer a question when first reached by phone. "I'm finding it hard to talk about my story all the time," he mumbled. Jal agreed to meet later at a reception for the new film at a trendy bistro called Leftbank. Excerpts:

NEWSWEEK: How is it going here in Washington?
EMMANUEL JAL:
I'm having fun. It's tiring, but I have to believe it's worth it.

It must be strange. Do you ever feel a sense of cultural confusion? Staying at the Willard Hotel with a feather pillow and room service and all the cable channels …
[Chuckles] And I used to be here. [Points to a magazine photo of Sudanese boys in threadbare clothes cooking over a fire]

Do you find it strange?
It's very strange. Unbelievable. I used to cook like this. [Gestures again at the photo]

But you've come this distance. What goes through your head?
I'm kind of getting used to the situation now. But what goes through my head is, "How can I give back to those people? What can I do?"

You have the Gua Africa foundation .
Yeah, I have a foundation whereby you pick kids from the [refugee] camps and put them in better schools. We get a child and match them with a sponsor. The sponsors pay school fees directly to the school. And if the sponsor wants to visit the child, they can actually go and visit.

Label

Newsweek Top Stories
Visions of a Decade
Visions of a Decade

From 2000-2009, one photo per month.

The Failure of Copenhagen
The Failure of Copenhagen

Why there could be a silver lining in a failed climate treaty.

Sex Scandals of the 2000s
Sex Scandals of the 2000s

From John Edwards to Mark Sanford, the decade's memorable affairs.

118 Days in Hell
118 Days in Hell

A NEWSWEEK journalist recounts his captivity in Iran.

Discuss

Sponsored by

My Take

Customize the NEWSWEEK homepage
to feature your favorite columnists.

Customize Now