Emmanuel Jal: Behind the Warchild

In Issue 1052, Evan Serpick profiled Emmanuel Jal, an MC who grew up in Sudan and became a soldier in the country's vicious civil war at age seven. After escaping five years of battle and unimaginable atrocities, he trekked to Kenya, where he began to channel his emotions and experiences into rhymes. Jal, the subject of new documentary War Child, also spoke about African rap battles and his unique perspective on 50 Cent. Watch Jal's video for his album's title track "Warchild" and listen to two of his tracks — "Warchild" and "50 Cent" — below.

"Warchild"

"50 Cent"

Is it at difficult to keep going over these difficult details about your life?
It's so frustrating, man. But I'm doing it because it's the struggle, you know. My people are in pain now. I see them dying every day. Like now the people in Darfur — what's happening to them in the south. I'm hoping somebody hard will be touched [by my music] and they'll look into the situation of what's happening in my country.

Let's talk about your experience. Was your father a leader of the rebel movement?
Not exactly. My father became a joint SPLA [Sudan People's Liberation Army] leader. My mom died in the war. [I was sent to Ethiopia] and trained to live as an adult. And trained not to cry because you are told, "You cannot cry. You are a soldier." You're trained to keep your emotion — not to miss anybody.

How do you feel about your father's decision to send you to Ethiopia?
I'm glad that I went because if I was behind I would have been a slave now. Maybe sold into a sugar plantation or maybe I would have died in one of the village raids. If I never joined SPLA, I don't know what I would be. In Ethiopia, every child there agreed to be trained as soldiers. Every person wanted to make a revenge. For me, I wanted to revenge for my mother, I wanted to revenge for my village, for my auntie who was raped in front of me, for our house that was burned.