Sierra Leone:
Ishmael Beah
The following text is taken from an interview with
Ishmael Beah a former child soldier from Sierra
Leone while he was visiting UNICEF in Spain on
the 9 February 2008. It is not the full transcript
but selected excerpts. Ishmael was 13 when he
became a child soldier.
Sierra Leone
“In the place where I grew up, I went swimming,
I played football, I went to school, I learned
Shakespeare, I was also introduced to American music. There was also a strong sense
of community where people care deeply about each other. Everyone in the community
was your father, your mother, took care of you, cooked for you, disciplined you if you did
something wrong, and you know, it was for me in a way, it was paradise place.
What happened when the war came in my life, it had been going on in Sierra Leone for
about two years before it came to my part of the country.
I had gone to another town for a talent show with my friends and then the war reached
my town. There was chaos and everyone was confused. Not knowing why this is going
on, no one explaining this to you, not knowing where you are going and your life, my life
basically became a long walk with thousands of children.
My immediate family was killed… so I didn’t have
a home to go to, and didn’t have a family to go to.
I had been in the war for a little bit over two years
and my life had basically become just fighting and
violence had become my reality. UNICEF went in
and started setting up local rehabilitation centres
through the country …they also went into the
forest and tried to talk to the commanders and
this part of the work of UNICEF I always try to tell
people. Sometimes you couldn’t understand that
person’s willingness just to go and discuss with
the commander that it is important to remove
children and save a lot of lives. It begins to
introduce this idea of the respect for human rights
in places where the respect for human life no
longer exists.
©UNICEF/HQ07-00935/Susan Markisz
Ishmael Beah
Caught in the Crossfire
For me, this is how I was able to get out of the war, because somebody was brave and
willing enough to go into the bushes and ask these commanders, “can we have some
kids?”. I was released and brought to the rehabilitation centre. I didn’t know who these
people were and why did they care about me. I had learned to distrust people so why
should I trust them?
When we came to the center, we were very violent. Having people committed to be
there with us, having the stable family afterwards [Ishmael went to live with his Uncle],
and being able to have an education. Those are the things that changed my life really
afterwards.
And also, just really being able to show children that not all adults fail them. There are people
who do care for them because children need to believe that after they come from conflict
and it is only through people’s actions by doing this work that they re-believe that again.
I wanted to really come and tell people that it is possible to come out of this. That the
work that people try to do, when it starts first by research, by trying to raise money, that
when it transforms into practical outcomes, it really does change people’s lives.
My dream, really, for me, you know, my dream is really… I want to make sure that people
do not forget about children that continue to be in these kinds of situations, that are
affected by either armed conflict, or … some kind of problem…”
(Source: Transcript from interview with Ishmael Beah UNICEF Spain, 9 February 2008)
©UNICEF/HQ08-0258/Susan Markisz
Ishmael playing with children while visiting Jamaica
Caught in the Crossfire