Is it possible that wars can be fought, even won, via non-violent mediums like film and blogs? Experiences in the tribal provinces of Pakistan led Benjamin Gilmour to make his film Son of a Lion in an attempt to combat negative stereotypes about the Pashtun people. MSF doctor James Maskalyk’s experience in Sudan inspired him to write a blog that ultimately became a book, in order to limit the distance which separates action from inaction. Emmanuel Jal has won worldwide acclaim for his unique style of hip hop with its message of peace and reconciliation born out of his experiences as a child soldier in Sudan.
Benjamin Gilmour, James Maskalyk and Emmanuel Jal discuss with Meredith Griffiths.
JAMES MASKALYK (INTERNATIONAL) JAMES MASKALYK is an assistant professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Toronto, and editor of the medical journal Open Medicine. He is the author of Six Months in Sudan. His participation is supported by the Canadian Consulate General in Sydney.
BENJAMIN GILMOUR (LOCAL) BENJAMIN GILMOUR is a Sydney-based ambulance paramedic, filmmaker, freelance writer for magazines and newspapers, and poet. Recently Benjamin established a new NGO, Frontier Development and Support (FDS), to provide infrastructure, health and education initiatives for the tribal areas of Pakistan, where few aid groups have access to. Benjamin is the director of the film Son of a Lion. Warrior Poets is his first book.
EMMANUEL JAL (INTERNATIONAL) EMMANUEL JAL was seven years old when he was taken from his family home to become a child soldier with the rebel army in Sudan. Put into battle in Ethiopia, Emmanuel was beaten, starved and brutalised. He tried to escape but was hunted down and imprisoned. He was rescued by a British aid worker who smuggled him into Nairobi. Now a hip hop artist, Emmanuel has won worldwide acclaim for his unique style of hip hop with its message of peace and reconciliation. His music can be heard alongside Coldplay, Gorillaz and Radiohead on the fundraising album Warchild: Help a Day in the Life. He also featured on John Lennon’s Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur with the likes of U2, REM and Lenny Kravitz. His first book is War Child: A Boy Soldier's Story. emmanueljal.org
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