Emmanuel Jal's life began in the war-torn region of Southern Sudan, where he was born into the life of a child soldier in the early 1980s. Despite the unimaginable struggles he faced, Emmanuel managed to survive and eventually emerged as a renowned recording artist, renowned for his unique style of hip hop that conveyed a powerful message of peace and reconciliation, born from his personal experiences.
Throughout his remarkable journey, Emmanuel has released four studio albums, including Gua, Ceasefire, Warchild, and See Me Mama. His live performances have taken him to various stages, including Live 8, Nelson Mandela's 90th Birthday Concert, and the One Concert for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He has also shared the stage with notable acts such as Faithless, Razorlight, Supergrass, and Fat Boy Slim in Europe, and has toured the United States as part of the National Geographic All Roads Film Festival.
Emmanuel's impressive list of collaborations includes performances with Moby and Five for Fighting in the 2007 live concert film, Alicia Keys at her Black Ball in New York, Joss Stone at the Melbourne Festival closing Concert in 2011, and Peter Gabriel at the 20th anniversary celebrations for WITNESS in 2012.
As a highly sought-after speaker, Emmanuel has addressed the UN, US Congress, the Carter Centre, and the highest tiers of several governments. He has been involved with prominent organizations such as the British Council, Clinton Global Initiative, Adolescent Girls Initiative (World Bank in association with the Nike Foundation),Child Soldiers Initiative, and the launch of Ericsson's Refugees Reunited Software.
Emmanuel's life has been featured in various forms of media, including a full-length documentary, Warchild, which won 12 prestigious film festival awards worldwide, and his autobiography, also titled Warchild, published by Little Brown in 2008.
In addition to his music and advocacy work, Emmanuel has appeared in several films, including the major motion picture Africa United, a Pathé, UK Film Council, and BBC Films presentation in association with Warner Bros, released in October 2010. He has also been cast as one of the lead characters in 'The Good Lie' alongside Reese Witherspoon, a film that follows the journey of three 'Lost Boys' from South Sudan to the US, due for worldwide release through Warner Bros in February 2014.
Emmanuel's music has been featured in various films, documentaries, and TV shows, including Blood Diamond, Girl Rising, ER, and National Geographic.
