Emmanuel Jal, the subject of our celebrated film War Child, has recently released his new album See Me Mama. Jal’s life story goes some way to explaining many of the themes present on this album and much of this previous work. A former child solider in South Sudan in the 1980s, Jal has since been renowned for his tireless campaigning for human rights and peace alongside his hip hop career.

See Me Mama is at once a tribute to Jal’s mother who was killed during the civil war, a positive message for the future  and just a great hip hop album. The opening song ‘Babylon’ is a smooth reggae-influenced track and eases you into an album that pleases as much as it surprises.  ‘We Want Peace’ is accompanied by a star-studded video featuring such famous faces as Alicia Keys and Jimmy Carter, and comes with a powerful message that forms the backbone of Jal’s campaigning.

The greatest part of this album though, is that you might unexpectedly find yourself belting out ‘I’m from Kush!’ along with the third track. Never has an ancient African kingdom sounded this cool.

> Find out more www.wewantpeace.org

> Get the album www.gatwitchrecords.com

> Find out more about the documentary War Child

> Watch an exclusive The Africa Channel interview with Emmanuel Jal