Emmanuel Jal: War Child- Soul and Culture Wars

The middle part of Emmanuel Jal's cd "War Child" deal with other battles that Emmanuel feels a part of. He is in a battle for his soul and the personal demons that haunt him (from a brutal early life as a child soldier in Sudan and a Lost Boy refuge. He also senses the cultural wars in his songs about how the world treats others based on color, social status, greed, and the images put forth in today's media and music.

"Baakiwara (I'm in another war/ This time it is my soul/ I am fighting for) is the fourth song on Emmanuel Jal's "War Child" album. This is not a song about being a child soldier as much as it is a song about the battle with the flesh and the struggle to overcome temptation (The things I want to do/ I don't do/ And the things I don't want to do/ I do/ My flesh and my spirit always fight).



"Shadow of Death" (As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death/ I fear no evil) is a song about the demons that haunt the singer and his faith that keeps him strong(As I pray to the Lord my soul to keep/ I don't have to worry about where to sleep/ The Lord is my shepherd/ and I'm his sheep).



The next song "Vagina" (To Mr. Oil, Diamond, and Gold miner, stop treating Mama Africa like a vagina. She's not your whore, not anymore. You take the riches and you leave the people poor.”] is about the rape of Africa. Emmanuel used to think the wars on his continent were for religious or ethnic reasons, but now believes it is about resources and unequal development. In an interview Emmanuel said:

“Vagina” was inspired by Blood Diamond. And also the issues in Africa, what is killing us. Gold. Diamonds. Oil. Those are the things. It's a message for both the companies and the leaders of Africa, the presidents. Because a lot of people don't know what is really going on in Africa. They don't know what is crippling Africa. So because I'm from there, I know what's going on. And this is a song that tells you the real truth. And people have to judge for themselves.

"Hai" is a song that tells about the profiling that black men face around the world.



In "No Bling" Emmanuel says he doesn't need the trappings normarly associated with rap stars to make it big. (No hos, no bitches, no bling, I don’t need none of those things / It’s only the love that I bring / representing the King of Kings / No hos, no bitches, no bling, I don’t need none of those things / I don’t need none of those things, to sell a lot of records like Sting.) It is his answer to the producers who wanted to give him an "image" so he could sell some records.



"50 Cent" is another song about western values. He sings this song to rapper 50 Cent telling him to use his fame for good and not for marketing violent video games to children (You have done enough damage selling crack cocaine/now you gotta kill a black man video game).

"Skirt Too Short" is about women dressing more modestly and it evolved from an encounter with a girl from MySpace. (You're skirts too short/ I can almost see your drawers). It is humorous and very direct.

"9th Ward" is a song dedicated to the people who perished in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. He had a hard time reconciling the fact that American was spending billions of dollars to fight a war in Iraq and yet had a hard time caring for the people in their own country.

Emmanuel Jal may have grown up as a child soldier but he continues to fight for the things he believes in and he sees lots of troubling things in the world around him.