Fractured Memories of a Child Soldier
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Map of Sierra Leone
Diversions
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A Mother's Saga: An Account of the Rebel War in Sierra Leone
Price: $19.95
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T-Shirt Long Sleeve Dark Green " Peace In Sierra Leone / War Baby " Country Large
Price: $20.99
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Bling
Price: $9.99
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The Empire in Africa
Price: $13.95
List Price: $24.95 |
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A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
Price: $9.35
List Price: $12.00 |
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Bling
Price: $9.99
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A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
Price: $9.99
List Price: $22.00 |
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Bling
Price: $2.99
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I am Just Ishmael
Africa can be a jungle
Of dominoes
Numbered with wars
And shifting sands
~~
Such dominoes
In the hands of a child
Can only be
Dynamite
But a child
One who God hears
An Ishmael
Blasting murder
With murder
Must be on a quest
Out of sync
With conventional
Celestial calendars
~
Ishmael
Can only hear
His God within
Bereft
Of Namaste
~
And we
Numb
To any
Aethereal Gods
Dare
To judge
And sentence
This child
With the dates
Of an earthly calendar
~~~~~~~~~~
NOTES: In response to the article "Twist in the Tale of a Child Soldier" - "The Australian" - 19.01.08 - "ISHMAEL Beah is the former African child soldier turned best-selling author whose account of his time as a killer, driven by the memory of his murdered family, has sold more than 600,000 copies around the world. His searing tale made one television host's "heart hurt"...But a bizarre set of events, sparked by a West Australian mining couple, has revealed flaws in Beah's tale, A Long Way Gone.
The young author, who appeared on Enough Rope with Andrew Denton in July last year and is a UN advocate for war children, appears to have been two years older when he went to war. He would have been not 13 but 15. And instead of him spending two years in the Sierra Leone army, it would have been two or three months.
His story took place during the civil war that ripped Sierra Leone apart between 1991 and 2002. Tens of thousands were massacred, more than a third of the population was displaced and thousands of children were drafted into the rival forces, the government versus the ideologically-driven Revolutionary United Front."
CBC Interview with Ishmael Beah
Ishmael Beah discusses child soldiering
Horrific slide show of child soldiers with quotes from Ishmael Beah
It lingers like a festering sore!
"Killing had become as easy as drinking water." - Ishmael Beah.
As for me, I can't get that nightmare out of my mind! I just can't! So, I wrote a poem!
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Comments
MrM - It seems it is all true - except for one detail. The events ocurred 2 years after his memory claims. It also means that Ishmael was not fighting for as long either. But I feel, the whole point is being missed in this quest for shocking facts. Ishmael was a child. A child soldier! He should NOT have been a soldier in the first place! Hence I was impassioned enough to write the poem in response to the news item!
Smiles and Light
Thank you for the add on, I was being a smart A.
Would you like to do something for me.
I am writing a hub on Passion.
Could you write me 300 to 400 words on Passion.
I don't mean Sexz.
Look at when you join HUbbing the first thing you notice are the words
"Put your Pssion into words."
If you are passionate about Kayaking, running a marathon or even Making Passion fruit Pavlova, I would like your views.
Your name and photo will be placed, in the hub as acknowledgment , if you are willing to participate.
Thank you
such sadness ...
"suffer the children"
lo MrM - I had a feeling you were, but not knowing you well enough to answer you back in kind, I took "the safe approach".
Now the article you request - Not sure how it all works - so I wait till you submit your hub called Passion?
Smiles and Light
Francis - Thank you for reading - Yes! I believed, in my naiviety, that the child soldiering days were becoming a thing of the pst! The newspaper article + video clips assured me that was far from the truth.
Smiles and Light
Such craziness.....
Yes Rudra! That is exactly the word for it!
Thanks for reading!
Smiles and Light
So very heartbreaking. Thank you for sharing. Great hub.
Yes Christine! The whole story - including the amazing media article questioning how old this guy was at the time - stirred me to outrage! I just had to write about it!
Thanks for reading!
Smiles and Light!
I disagree with idea that because Beah has undergone traumatic experiences, the details don't matter. The paper reporting the story has been very clear in saying that they don't believe that any mistakes were intentional on his part.
Having seen war traumatised children in refugee camps, many of whom had little prospect of healing to the extent that Beah appears to have healed (I am talking about children who have trauma induced muteness, who have lost the ability to move their limbs, who will never be able to describe their experiences) I think it's important to understand that even when we are talking about extreme trauma, there are still degrees of damage involved. The age of the child and the length of time for which they experience the trauma is relevant here. It might not make much difference to most readers to know the exact details of Beah's case. But it is important because this is a high-profile case and it affects the treatment and understanding of war-traumatised children. it's important to have a realistic understanding of the extent of the damage and the liklihood of recovery, and factors like the age of the child and the length of time involved matter.
I also don't think it's very empowering that so many people discussing this continue to talk about Beah as though he's still a child. I don't mean that any punitive attitude should be taken towards him, or that people shouldn't understand that any distortions in his memory are because he was a child caught up in extreme events. But there is still a need to distinguish between "child Ishmael" and "adult Ishmael" or he'll be frozen into that childhood forever.
Finally the journalist who reported this story is copping a lot of flak as someone who monsters war-traumatised children. I don't know Peter Wilson personally but I remember his reports from Baghdad and in particular I remember reading about his involvement in arranging the evacuation of a badly injured Iraqi child: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,101017
Contrarian- Thank you for taking so much time with your response. I do appreciate it.
However, I was a little confused trying to nail down a particular line of argument in your comment! At first, it sounded as if you disagreed with my horror of pedantic reporting of a child "forgetting" real dates and then it seemed you agreed.
The conclusion of my poem states:
"And we
Numb
To any
Aethereal Gods
Dare
To judge
And sentence
This child
With the dates
Of an earthly calendar"
"because Beah has undergone traumatic experiences, the details don't matter." My reference to "details" suggested Ishmael's perception of dates and time frames. That was my main line of contention with the media report. Surely, that cannot matter when far greater "details" (atrocities) are taking place; child in a place where he should not be.
Agreed! Recovery for such a traumatised child is quite elusive.
"But there is still a need to distinguish between "child Ishmael" and "adult Ishmael" or he'll be frozen into that childhood forever." Is this a comment implying media hype should now leave him alone to get on with recovery and lead a semblance of "normal" adult life? If that is the case, I agree heartily. The media feeding frenzy with all the interviews and videos perpetuate the trauma.
Thank you again for your comment!
Smiles and Light
working
MrMarmalade says:
6 months ago
So when the dice is rolled .Is he a young liar that can't remember facts or is his memory fading?