Ishmael Beah

Ishmael BeahFlickr - Witness.org [Public domain]“From the ashes a fire woken, a light from the shadow shall spring. Renewed shall be blade that was broken, the crownless shall be the king” (J.R.R.Tolkien). This line from Tolkien’s poem “All that is gold does not glitter” is a perfect fit for Ishmael Beah. In 1991, he was conscripted at the age of twelve to fight in the Sierra Leone Civil War. Two years later, he was rescued by UNICEF and became UNICEF’s first Advocate for Children Affected by War in 2007. President of the Ishmael Beah Foundation, he and his organization now help children who have been affected by the war reintegrate into society and improve their lives. Beah was able to recover from his traumatizing experience, and now encourages other victims of war to do the same. Certainly, he has created peace and he will continue to improve our world. Through his courage, determination, and constant encouragement, Ishmael Beah has made the world a far better place and is one of the greatest heroes of our time.

First and foremost, Beah’s courage allowed him to survive a traumatizing experience and later speak up about it. His childhood was undeniably horrific. While thirteen-year-olds in San Diego are worried about sports games, Beah’s “parents and two brothers were killed and he was forcibly recruited into the conflict [Sierra Leone Civil War]”  (“Advocate for Children Affected by War”). It’s impossible to deny that Beah suffered during the war. He had lost his immediate family and was thrust into a conflict he had no place in. He could have died easily, but Beah survived until, “with UNICEF’s help, he was removed from the army and placed in a rehabilitation home in Freetown” (“UNICEF”). Even as a young boy, he faced his trials with courage. Child soldiers like Beah faced an exceptionally brutal life at the hands of the Sierra Leone rebels, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). They faced widespread torture and abuse at the hands of the rebels. Some were forced to kill family members and maim friends. Unsurprisingly, the experience was traumatizing for the children. It takes remarkable resilience and courage to be able to survive such harsh conditions - which is exactly what Beah did. As one of an estimated 10,000 child soldiers drafted during the Sierra Leone Civil War, he knew “from experience that all that pain, that unimaginable suffering, and that sense of loss of humanity, can all be refocused towards something positive,’ said Beah. ‘Especially when you have someone who believes in you, supports you and extends a helping hand’” (“Give a voice to”, par. 6).Though Beah had lost much of his humanity through the sheer brutality of the war, through UNICEF’s support, he was able to recover. Having rebuilt his inner strength, Beah resolved to speak out and share his experiences. It takes a special kind of courage for one to speak out about something like this. Eager to help other former child soldiers, “the soft-spoken author works with African child soldiers as the United Nations Children’s Funds’ (UNICEF) first Advocate for Children Affected by War” (“Former”). Beah’s complete transformation seems impossible from an outside perspective. Once a child soldier forced to kill, he now works extensively to repair damage done to other child soldiers. Not only did he share his stories through books, he also works with UNICEF to spread awareness. Although Beah was forced to battle in one of Africa’s most brutal conflicts, he never lost hope. Instead, because of his courage and resilience, he was not only able to survive the war but to improve the world through his experiences.

Beah’s yearning and determination to promote peace is exemplified by his positive and optimistic attitude. As a member of UNICEF, he has made impressive speeches for children affected by war. He believes that young people “who survive war have an amazing ability to persevere and become the champions for peace that are so needed, despite the horrors they have been through” (“Give a voice to”, par. 5). Beah, as a goodwill ambassador of UNICEF, brings useful information to help recovering child soldiers reintegrate into society, and his constant presence in the UNICEF-sponsored workshops is great evidence that youths could heal despite their terrible experiences. Through his moving words and bits of advice, he seemed more of a friend than just a speaker to the youth. His optimism in believing that all child soldiers can be rehabilitated provides hope to the recovering of youths, many who are extremely jaded by their horrible childhoods. Now an “internationally renowned” author, Beah’s books, A Long Way Gone, A Memoir of a Child Soldier, and Radiance of Tomorrow, A Novel (“Give a voice to”, par. 2) spread his thoughts and attitude across the world.  He put his philosophy in his words, and expresses melancholy, nervousness, and hope inside. Beah wants to help more people like him, and let more people understand just how horrible war is and how precious peace is. Despite having been through terrible conditions as a child, Beah remains optimistic that humanity can achieve world peace. Through his optimism, he is able to inspire other former child soldiers and kickstart their recovery. He also travels often, flying to places like “South Sudan with UNICEF to meet with former child soldiers, along with different parties to the conflict so as to advocate for the release of child soldiers and their reintegration into their communities and families. A peace agreement was signed in August this year” (“Advocate for Children Affected by War”). With UNICEF, they travelled to South Sudan and met with different parties to advocate for freedom for child soldiers. Thankfully, good things come to those who wait, as in 2014, Sudan and South Sudan signed a peace agreement. Because of Beah’s effort and all the other workers striving for peace in UNICEF, they managed to create a relatively comfortable and safer environment for children in South Sudan and saved thousands of thousands of lives. He persisted in trying to create peace for children. Suffering is meaningless to Beah, who works for a world where there is no war and therefore much less suffering. After connecting with the children on a deeper level,  Beah realized that he needed to do more in a different direction- showing the children how to live with bad memories.

Ishmael BeahALA The American Library Association [Public domain]Beah brings the children he deals with the confidence and encouragement they need to confront their own demons, making him very effective at helping them. Through his own experiences, he knew that  “coming to normal life is not that easy, because it does not happen that quickly, so you have to have a lot of patience.” (“Former”). He knows that forgetting about trauma is implausible, so he tells the kids how to live with it and encourages a positive attitude. Having gone through the same healing process, Beah knows that with confidence and encouragement, it becomes easier to repair one’s life. Therefore, he seeks to serve as a mentor to the shattered children affected by war. He also works with researchers “to contribute to better access to education and vocational training. The training also equips vulnerable young people with skills to address issues like early marriage, protection against violence and hazardous types of labour” (“Give a voice to”, par. 7). Beah often visits refugee camp to help the young people learn and get psychological support. Many of the children he works with have dropped out of school and struggle to help their families make ends meet. By working with researchers, he can help identify the main challenges facing child soldiers and help them improve their lives. Beah’s encouragement is to not only help the children to forget about their terrible past, but to also teach them how to live with it, and how to make their lives better.

Through UNICEF, Beah has managed to vastly improve the lives of thousands of young children affected by war. His position as an influential author and ambassador of UNICEF allows him to reach millions of people around the world with his message of world peace. Ishmeal Beah’s courage, determination, and encouragement has made the world a far better place, and he is truly one of the greatest heroes of the 21st century.