Former child soldier speaks at South Campus

Former child soldier Ishmael Beah's life has taken him many places, from the war zones of Sierra Leone to the busy streets of New York City. He has spoken at the United Nations, the Council on Foreign Relations, and now, FCCJ. On March 4, a crowd gathered at the South Campus Wilson Center to hear Beah speak about his experiences. Overflow seating was needed outside the auditorium to accommodate the hundreds of people who attended the event.

Beah recounted his heart-wrenching journey from horror to hope with both humor and insight.

Growing up in Sierra Leone, Beah was involved in his community, attended school, and developed an affinity for Shakespeare. He recalled hearing about war in distant lands, but never believed it would affect his community. After the war reached his home when he was 12 years old, he said that "everything I knew changed tremendously."

In his best-selling book, A Long Way Gone, Beah recounts the details of the indescribable violence, forced drug addictions, and brainwashing that he endured during his two-and-a-half year experience as a child soldier. During his presentation at FCCJ, he talked about some of these evils and how deeply they impacted him.

"It became kill or be killed," he said of his time as a child soldier. "We learned not to cry."

Fortunately, Beah was rescued by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and placed in a rehabilitation center in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He spoke of the enormous struggle he went through while trying to regain his humanity. He credits the rehabilitation workers with being "very persistent," saying that most of them kept coming back to help the former child soldiers despite the trouble they went through.

Afterwards, Beah went to live with his uncle. A stroke of good fortune put him on a plane to New York City, where he spoke to the UN on behalf of the children in Sierra Leone. The audience laughed as he talked about his first time seeing snow and his fascination with hot running water in the hotel shower.

While in New York, Beah became friends with Laura Simms, a professional storyteller he met at the UN conference. He kept in touch with her after his return to Sierra Leone, and after more violent incidents and the death of his uncle, he called her and asked if he could stay with her.

Shortly after that, he embarked on his journey to leave for America. Beah went on to earn his high school diploma at the United Nations International School, and earned a political science degree from Oberlin College.

He said he wrote A Long Way Gone because he wanted to show people the human strength to recover.

"I wanted to put a human face on this issue," he said. "I'm not into sensationalizing violence, because violence is not fascinating." Rather, he urged people in the audience to appreciate what they have so they can help those less fortunate.

Now at age 28, Beah has settled into New York City life, though his speaking engagements allow him to travel around the world. He said that he has fully regained his humanity and dignity, but that scars will always linger.

"You cannot forget. Learning to live with the memories of the war was the most difficult thing that I had to do," said Beah. "I have learned to appreciate what it means to just be alive."

Beah specifically spoke to college students as he closed his presentation, and he encouraged them to not take their educational opportunities for granted.

"Education was a journey for me, to rediscover my own humanity again," he said. "Think of learning not just as career-driven, but as a journey."

Few people in attendance that night were left unaffected by his story.

"I was very impressed with his ability to speak openly about his past, and recognize the horror of many things in which he himself was involved," said Seth Hamrick, a first-year philosphy major. "His thoughts on humanity were interesting, and I thought that he was right when he said that anyone is capable of being dehumanized."

After the presentation, Beah stayed to answer questions, sign books, and take pictures with attendees. His message of peace, restoration, and perseverance seemed to resonate with all.

"We don't have to wait until there's war somewhere to learn about others," Beah concluded.