South Sudan's Emmanuel Jal wins humanitarian award

This comes after the former child soldier was named as one of the recipients of the 2018 Václav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent. The annual prize, which was established in 2012 by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), honours individuals who exhibit courage and creativity in challenging injustice.

HRF committee member and chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov said the prize was awarded to Jal because “he uses powerful music as a vehicle to spread a message of freedom and hope for a better future in war-torn South Sudan”.

Jal told Music In Africa that he would use the money to sponsor his Be the Love Tour, whose proceeds would go towards supporting young South Sudanese through the artist's Survivors of War programme and his charity initiative Gua Africa, which awards educational scholarships to South Sudanese refugees.

“I am humbled and surprised at the same time," he said. “I wasn’t ready for this but it is an encouragement. This support has given me energy to keep doing what I'm passionate about, which is helping my people."

“The plan I have for the next 18 months is to get 100 children at Kakuma refugee camp to complete their secondary education. Apart from my Be the Love Tour, I will also be fundraising for the same through visiting various cooperate offices and hosting gala dinners in the US and Canada.”

South Sudan has been embroiled in a crippling civil war between government and opposition forces since 2013. This has led to the displacement of about 3.5 million people, of which 1.5 million have fled to neighbouring countries such as Uganda, Kenya and Sudan. About 86% of the refugees are women and children. South Sudan has also experienced a massive brain drain of capable professionals who are seen as the only hope to rebuilding the war ravaged country.

“These professionals should be building the country and not fleeing it,” Jal said. “The leaders in government and in opposition should be willing to compromise for the sake of the people."

Eelier this week, the government of South Sudan and rebel leaders held unsuccessful peace talks in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Jal said peace talks might never be successful because the wary parties lacked the ability to face each other in a constructive manner.

“What my country lacks are integrative thinkers. What the government needs is to adopt the ideas from the donors, the opposition, the church leaders and the public, bring them together and build a concrete resolution."

“If they do that we can all be given an opportunity to create something beautiful. Peace is when my belly is full, when children are going to school, when conflict is managed in a mature manner, when there is unlimited access to medical services, peace is power to the people.”

Jal said he wished to see more people speaking their minds about the situation in South Sudan.

“The last time I was in South Sudan was in 2012 for a peace concert,” he said. “Instead of a warm welcome, I was beaten until I blacked out because of my activism. I was then told that they would gouge out my eyes and throw them in the river. But these threats did not break me. Instead, they gave me more reason to be a voice to my brothers and sisters."

Jal has helped train about 40 individuals as part of the Survivors of War programme. The 40 have since graduated to become surgeons, doctors and teachers. His Gua Africa initiative has taken hundreds through primary and secondary education.