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Uganda: The Woes of A Child Soldier
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New Vision (Kampala)
BOOK REVIEW
3 July 2008
Posted to the web 4 July 2008
Andrew Pike
Kampala
HOW do you forgive terrible crimes committed against you, and by you? The blood diamond-fuelled war from 1991 to 2002 left Sierra Leone in pandemonium with about 50,000 dead and hundreds of thousands displaced.
A Long Way Gone is a gripping first-hand account of the horror forced on a child soldier and the extraordinary power of redemption.
Beah starts off as an innocent 12-year-old who enjoys rapping and dancing. Along with his innocence, these pastimes are stripped from him with a rebel attack on his village.
He wanders in a state of shock for months, shunned by locals for fear he might be a child soldier.
However, the inevitable occurs and he is forced to become a drugged up child soldier. After two years of senseless slaughter, Beah is rescued by the UN and recovers from the trauma in a camp with many others.
When the fighting breaks out again, in fear of becoming a weapon again, he undertakes an extremely dangerous bus journey to escape to America.
Beah is, without a doubt, a highly competent individual to have recovered from his experiences to start a new life in America.
But there is some controversy surrounding his story. After investigation with the locals at Beah's village, Mattru Jong, the dates in his story were found not to correspond with reality. Even some atrocities that he recorded did not occur.
However, this is of no serious consequence as the book has enlightened the plight of hundreds of thousands of child soldiers, hopefully leading to international action.
A Long Way Gone is a must read for all. Although the quality of the writing does not compare to the literary greats, this autobiography is a page turner that triggers deep meaningful thought on what can be done to help where we can, and the appreciation of what we have.
Ishmael Beah, 27, graduated from Oberlin University and works to raise awareness on child soldiers.
Sierra Leone is ranked lowest in the Human Development Index meaning it has the lowest standard of living worldwide. It is estimated that 10,000 - 30,000 under 18-year-olds were involved in the brutal 11-year conflict.
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Some have still not recovered from trauma, but are undergoing treatment. Save the Children estimates that 300,000 to 800,000 child soldiers exist worldwide.
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