Emmanuel Jal is a victim of the conflict that raged Sudan for many decades. The rapper’s tale is one of suffering, pain, redemption and then triumph.
He recently spoke to Word Is about how hard life had been for him. He related an incident of sheer desperation that had occurred during his childhood. Jal was a child soldier.
The rapper on stage
You see, there was a time when Emmanuel had no food to eat and water to drink. The grave situation nearly forced him to drink his own urine and eat his own friend who had just passed away!
He told Word Is:
One of the lowest points in my life was when I was tempted to drink my own urine because I didn’t have water and tempted to eat my own comrade. So my friend died and I looked at him and I told him, I will eat you tomorrow. Every day, there are challenges. The same way I used to overcome them, is what I have perfected now.
Emmanuel-Jal-now-hs plenty of water to drink
The situations in his childhood have molded him and he is now a gritty man who faces every challenge he meets with brow furrowed and gratitude.
Jal also gave his thoughts concerning the Kenyan government’s plan’s to close Kakuma refugee camp, where his sister Nyaruach grew up.
Nyaruach
He thought it was could be viewed as something terrible if someone chose to look at it that way. But he sees the silver lining saying that when a door closes, another inevitably opens, breeding more opportunities.
The rapper in studio
Jal’s 6th and most recent album is called ‘Naath’. The 39-year-old rapper explained the meaning of the album title saying:
Naath means spiritual being. There is one tribe in South Sudan with the same name. The reason why I chose my sister to be in it is that she is able to engage her mind to something that gives her value.
Emmanuel revealed a lot in the interview
Emmanuel Jal now lives in Canada and is a lesson in never giving up.
