Tell us a little bit about your life
growing up...
Life was simple growing up; we got
everything from the land. There was a
lot of connection to nature and respect
for the elders. I never knew what poverty
was, because everybody was looking
after one another. But everything
changed when [the Second Sudanese
Civil] War broke out. The war robbed the
soul of my villages. All of my aunties died,
all of my uncles, except two, died. My
mother was claimed by the war.
By the age of seven, my father gave
me out to go to ‘school’ in Ethiopia. I was
enrolled in Sudan People’s Liberation
Army training camp for child soldiers.
We walked hundreds of miles. Some
children were eaten by wild animals,
while others died of starvation and
dehydration. Children were burning their
own dead and we made our own prayers.
When I was eight, I got trained to become
a child soldier. This changed everything;
[there was] a shift in my mind. I wanted
revenge for my family.
When and why did you decide to
run away? When did you meet your
adoptive mother, Emma?
After five years in the SPLA, I was one of
300 child soldiers who escaped from the
front in Juba, South Sudan. We took three
months to walk. We were so weak, we
had no water and no food.
When I reached the town of Waat
in South Sudan, I met Emma McCune,
a British aid worker and a passionate
purpose-driven young woman. She
smuggled me on a flight to Kenya and put
me in a boarding school, paid for my fees
and gave me her clothes.
You’ve described those years as a
very tumultuous time. What did your
escape and survival teach you about
your own strength?
What I learnt about staying alive is [that
you need to] have a purpose or a dream.
I always wanted to be part of [a] solution.
I used to visualise and see myself helping
people. Kids were dying next to me and
I would say to myself: 'I am going to stay
alive and tell the story. I am going to stay
alive and learn in school so I can help
my people.' This used to bring joy to my
life and gave me hope and strength to
carry on.When did you discover a
passion for music?
I like music and went to concerts at
church [in Kenya]. I found myself writing
music and it made me happy, so I started
to perform it. I didn’t write about my
struggle; I wrote about peace. I recorded
my first single, Gua, in 2004 and it
reached the number one song in Kenya.What inspired you to create
a company dedicated to
health and diet?
When I was travelling and performing on
tour, my blood pressure began to rise and
I showed early symptoms of diabetes.
[So] I started to eat like the people in my
village. My blood pressure lowered and
I felt revitalised. I founded a superfood
company called Jal Gua, which produces
a powdered superfood of sorghum and
moringa – two staple ingredients of the
African diet. I believe peace is when
my belly is full. Food can bring peace.
Healthy bodies lead to healthy minds.Tell us about your work as a political
activist, spreading the messages of
peace and harmony...
My work has evolved now because my
experiences have increased. Apart from
sharing my childhood experiences, I also
do mindfulness workshops. There is so
much happening now in my life: from
my speaking engagements, performing,
coaching, writing and teaching. I also love
going to school to share my experiences
with young people as a way to plant the
seed of positivity.Tell us about the non-profit
charity, Gua Africa, that you founded...
Gua Africa is a charity I founded that
works with families, individuals and
communities to help them overcome
the effects of war and poverty. We are
passionate about education and hope
to build more schools in Kenya. We’re
passionate about finding sponsors so that
survivors of wars can complete primary
education, high school and university.What’s your biggest passion and what
are you currently working towards?
My biggest passion is to create conscious
global awakening. I believe that through
stories, we can get people to look
within themselves so they can connect
with their inner being, which has better
solutions for themselves and the world
at large.How can people get involved with
your charity?
People can get involved with Gua Africa
by sponsoring a child to go to school.
They can also get involved in supporting
the charity’s vision, which is working with
individuals, families and communities to
help them overcome the effects of war
and poverty through education. Emmanuel Jal is the creator of the
award-winning documentary War
Child, architect of the We Want Peace
campaign and has co-starred with Reese
Witherspoon in The Good Lie. He’s an in-
demand speaker who has addressed the
UN, US Congress, The Carter Center and
the high tiers of several governments.
In 2017, Jal received the Desmond Tutu
Reconciliation Fellowship. For more
information, visit emmanueljal.com“MY BIGGEST PASSION IS
TO CREATE CONSCIOUS
GLOBAL AWAKENING”naturalhealthmag.com.au AUSTRALIAN NATURAL HEALTH | 103