Emmanuel Jal was born in southern Sudan, and while he doesn’t know exactly when, he believes it was in the early 1980s. He was taken from his family in 1987 when he was about seven 6years old, and sent to fight with the rebel army in Sudan’s bloody civil war. For nearly five years, he was a “child warrior,” put into battle carrying an AK-47 that was taller than he was.

Emmanuel’s father joined the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) where his mother was killed when he was about 7years old by the government’s soldiers.

He then decided to join the thousands of children traveling to Ethiopia who had been told that they could be educated there. However, many of the children, Emmanuel included, were recruited by the SPLA and taken to military training camps in the bush in Ethiopia.

The camp was disguised as a school in front of international aid agencies and UN representatives, but behind closed doors the children were training to fight.

“I didn’t have a life as a child. In five years as a fighting boy, what was in my heart was to kill as many Muslims as possible”. – Emmanuel Jal

When the fighting became unbearable, Emmanuel and some other children decided to run away. They were on the move for three months, with many dying on the way, until they reached the town of WAAT, which was the headquarter of a small group that had separated themselves from the main SPLA.

After a series of harrowing events, he was rescued by a British aid worker (Emma McCune) who smuggled him into Nairobi to raise him as her own child.

She died in a road accident a few months later, but her friends helped Emmanuel to continue his studies. To help ease the pain of all that he had experienced. Emmanuel started singing and music became his weapon of choice.

Emmauel Jal – Warchild

His music has since taken him around the world, performing at events like Madiba’s 46664 concert and Live8, alongside artists like Alicia Keys, Annie Lennox, Damien Marley, Razorlight, Supergrass, amongst many others.

He’s life was a teaching to all.

You can learn more about him, his music and biography at his official web site. http://www.emmanueljal.org

I don’t even know where I belong!

The national TV operator (NTA) showed the out comes of their research titled “Who Is An Average Nigerian” based on individual earning capacity and the ability to sustain life.

Though Nigeria looks like a wealthy and rich country, an average Nigerian was defined on NTA News Extra as a person who:

1. CANNOT afford 3 square meals daily for his family.
2. CANNOT afford or even have no shelter.
3. CAN ONLY send his children public schools where there is no school fees.
4. CANNOT afford to pay for his family’s health.

I was emotionally touched when I saw the interviews NTA had with these average citizens. Most of them have very intense and less paying jobs like hawking, hard labor and more!

The worst thing is that, these average citizens account for ¾ (75%) of the total population of Nigeria. Thus, I should say our country is really in a critical condition!

Based on my deductions and physical assumptions; it means that only ¼ (25%) of Nigerians can be rated as ABOVE AVERAGE. If that is the case, then who is the rich?

Considering this research, I think we really need to change the way we do things and work towards the development of the this great nation. But, wait a minute. Where do you think you belong? Are you average or RICH?

Please appreciate what you have and learn to give out more!

We are no better than this poor people, what do you think?