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Galaxy: International Multidisciplinary Research Journal
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Human Rights as Inspiration and Empowerment: The Life and Times of a Boy Soldier
A Reading of Ishmael Beah’s autobiography ‘A Long Way Gone, Memoirs of a Boy Soldier’
Sherry Mathews
Lecturer
Department of English
St: Mary’s College, Manarcad
Kottayam Kerala
Pin-686019
Human Rights are the rights people have simply because he/she is a human being. It is
the basic standard without which one cannot live with dignity. Human Rights are held by all
persons equally, universally and eternally. We have ample examples from literature that upholds
the theme of blatant violation, ardent protection and strict maintenance of human rights.
Ishmael Beach’s autobiography epitomizes the above mentioned themes and also amplifies the
theme of how Human Right is an empowerment and inspiration for a boy soldier from war torn
Sierra Leone. Beach work is a mirror held against one of the callous forms of Human Rights
Violation against children – Child Soldiers. Beah, being one among them was lucky enough to
escape this mental and physical slavery, with the help of UNCIEF and NGOs. Later he addressed
the UN, on behalf of the Child Soldiers. The Rights under the convention on the Rights of Child
is an inspiration and empowerment to Beach, who currently works as the UNICEF’s advocate for
Children Affected by War.
Introduction:
Rights (Noun) means things to which we are entitled or allowed: freedom that are
guaranteed. Human Rights thus mean the rights we have, simply because we are human. In other
words, they are Rights to which we are entitled based on the assumption that every individual is
a rational-cum-moral being, and that he/she deserves to have a level of dignity, below which
he/she ceases to exist as human being. Though the concept of human rights found widespread
acceptance only after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, its history can be traced back
to 6th century B.C. In the year 539 B.C, Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered the city of Babylon.
To, every one’s surprise, he freed the slaves and declared that everyone has his/her right/freedom
to choose his/her religion and thus established racial equality. This decree was recorded on a
Baked clay Cylinder (henceforth known as Cyrus Cylinder) in the Akkadian language in
Cuneiform Script. Cyrus Cylinder is considered as “World’s first charter of Human Rights”.
Later in history we had Magna Carta (1215), English Bills of Rights (1669), French Declaration
of Rights of Man and Citizen (1789), US Constitution and Bill of Rights (1791) and Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (1948).
Broadly speaking, Human Rights and Literature comes under the umbrella of Humanities
.Both are directly concerned with ‘human’. World Literature comprises of countless human right
Stories. There are ample examples from literature, which upholds the themes of blatant violation,
ardent protection and strict maintenance of Human rights. Ishmael Beah’s autobiography ‘A
Long Way Gone, Memoirs of a Boy Soldier 1’ is a shocking narration of violation of Human
1
Beah, Ishmael. A Long Way Gone ,Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. New Delhi: HarperCollins , 2007.
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Rights, efforts to protect and maintain it. The paper also covers the theme of; How Human
Rights are indeed an inspiration and empowerment to the narrator, in his post-conflict life.
Stripping of innocence: from Boy to Boy Soldier
Ishmael Beah was from Bonthe district of Sierra Leone .Sierra Leon is infamous for its
civil wars fought between rebel armies and government troops for the control of Diamond mines.
During the month of March 1991, Revolutionary United Front (RUF), a rebel group, under the
leadership of a former corporal Foday Sankoh, stared attacking different villages and district
Head Quarters in the mining areas of Sierra Leone. Their ultimate aim was to bring down, what
they call, the corrupt All People’s Congress (APG) government, in Free Town, capital of Sierra
Leone. RUF gained control over many mines, pushing the Sierra Leone army back to its capital
city. In the ensuing war Beah’s village also came under severe attack. Beah escaped the rebel
raid as he had gone to participate in a HIP-HOP competition to the district Head Quarters in
Mattur Jong. Dense rebel presence prevented Beah and his friends to return to their village. They
decided to stay in Mature Jong. Rebel raids started to spread beyond the mining areas. Soon,
Mattur Jong also came under heavy attack. They took some children as child soldiers. Beach and
his friends escape from the rebel raid. They took refuge in the forest, aimlessly wandered in the
forest for many months and finally, ended up in a government military camp. Here, Beach and
his friend are initiated into the unexpected role of child soldiers. Beah, in this work provides a
haunting first person narration of how the innocence of childhood is stripped out and how; he is
converted to a cruel blood thirsty soldier.
Young recruits were injected with false patriotism and hatred. The army general always
reminded the “soldiers” that:
“They [RUF’s rebel soldiers] have lost everything that makes them human. They
do not deserve to live. That is why we must kill every single of them. Think of it
as destroying a great evil. It s the highest service you can perform for your country”(108)
In the first army ambush, Beah participated, he could not fire a single shot from his AK-47.He
was totally terrified and numbed He saw his friend Josiah fatally wounded by a Rocket Propelled
Grenade (RPG). Following night, disturbed by nightmares, Beah, shot 30 magazines at the same
time using his AK-47, thus overcoming his reluctance to shoot.
Soon, Beah became an addict to Marijuana, sniffed amphetamines and ‘brown-brown’ (a
mix of Cocaine and Gunpowder) – brainwashing him of his violence. Escape became nearly
impossible. “If you left, it was as good as being dead” says Beach. Instigate by false patriotism,
high dose of drugs and war movies, Beah continued raids and ambush on rebel camps.
Rambo films mesmerized the child soldier’s .War for Beah and rest of the child soldiers became
a blind imitation of Rambo in real setting. Beach recollects “….wanted to be like Rambo. We
couldn’t wait to implement these techniques’. ‘……..killing had become like drinking water”
(121).
Sanity intact: From Boy soldier to Human rights Activist
In January 1996, UNICF rescued Beah. He was taken to rehabilitation centre called
Benin Home. Initially, Beah resisted any attempt for normalization. He continued to search for
drugs. Rehabilitation center continued with the de-addiction process. The agony of de-addiction
shattered Beah, mentally and physically. Vomiting, collapsing and also haunting dreams
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continued. Slowly, Beach showed signs of progress. He is highly indebted to a nurse named,
Esther. She made his path to recovery much more smooth and quick. Her emotional support was
of great help for him. Beah was soon reinstated into normal society. He started to live with his
uncle.
In the winter of 1996, Beah came to the United States to attend a conference organized by
UNICEF and Norwegian People’s Aid on the effect of the war on children. On the second day,
Beah addressed the gathering ‘I had a speech that had been written in Freetown, I decided to
speak from my heart, instead” (199). In his speech, he pleads to adults to stop all the wars, so
that; children will not be recruited for war.
Beah returned to Sierra Leone and later moved back to New York. He is now under the
protection and care of the Scheuer Family, especially Marge Scheuer .He graduated from Oberlin
College (2004) in Politics. He is the member of Human Rights Watch Children’s Rights Division
Advisory Committee, Co-founder of the network for Young People affected by War and
President of Ishmael Beah Foundation.
Beah’s autobiography documents every possible form of Human Rights violation. Civil,
Economic, Social, Cultural, Political rights of young and old are threatened and abused .All these
rights are essential and equally important for humanity to exist with dignity. Our paramount
concern is with violation of Child rights in such a pitiless manner. Child Soldiers like Ishmael
Beah are living examples of this distressing condition. History shows that child soldiers are not
at all a new tendency. David M Rosen, the author of Armies of the Young: Child Soldiers in War
and Terrorism Observes “
“Children have served as Soldiers throughout History. They fought
in the American Revolution, American Civil War and in both the World Wars. They served as
Uniformed Soldiers, Camouflaged insurgents, and even suicide bombers. Indeed, the first US
soldier to be killed by hostile fire in the Afghanistan war was shot in ambush by a14 year boy”
It is now almost impossible to accurately calculate the number of children involved in
armed forces. Amnesty International’s official website, claims, 300,000 child soldiers, hopped up
on drugs fight the war in more than 50 conflicts in our World. Child Soldiers: Global Report
(April 2004 – October 2007) claims, children are involved in 19 countries in armed conflicts.
Children are part of Government Armed Forces (as in the case of Ishmael Beah), Non-State
Armed Groups like Revolutionary armed forces of Columbia. Child Soldiers: Global Report also
mentions about increase in the number of girl soldiers in Non-state armed groups in Nepal and
Philippines
Rights of Children became a core issue in the International forums with the Declaration
of Human Rights of Children (20th November 1959) .On the 30th anniversary of the declaration
of the Rights of Children, UN organized Convention on the Rights of Children (20th November
1989). In September 1997, Former UN secretary General Kofi Annan appointed Olarra Otunnu,
former Foreign Minister of Uganda, as special representative for Children and Armed Conflicts.
This decision was influenced by the report of Graca Machel entitled Impact of Armed conflict on
Children. This report also influenced to include the First Protocol on 25th May 2000, which
restricts the use of children in Military conflicts: “…..parts to conflicts take every feasible step to
ensure that children under the age of 18 years do not take part in the hostilities”
The speech by Ishmael Beah on the occasion of the 20th year of the Convention on Rights
of Children, is testimony of how, Rights under CRC and First Protocol was an inspiration and
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empowerment for him. In his Opening statement Bach says,”I was forced to fight in the conflict
that ravaged the social fabric of my home and society”. He continues to say that the convention
and its two protocols acted as a catalyst in his strong advocacy for the rights of children. In the
54 Articles that protect a wide range of rights of children, Beah makes special mention about
Article 6. This article states that all governments “must ensure to the maximum extent possible
the survival and development of the child”.
In places where children are under threat, this
article act as a powerful tool, to, lobby on behalf of children. “My life was enriched by article 12
and 13”. Article 12 (Respect for the Views of children) and Article 13 (Freedom of Expression).
This articles helped many children to become active participants in finding solution to problems
that affect them. It also encourages the child to be an active and integral part in government and
International platforms concerning them, says Beah. Article 28 (Right to Education) and Article
29 (Goals of Education) are also referred by Beah. These are of real help for children in postconflict nations. This will surely help Children in rebuilding their lives. “Lack of education is the
root of cause of many injustices” reminds Beah.
In Sierra Leon, guilty verdict in 2007 by the special court of Sierra Leone
against three members of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council(AFRC) AND ONE
MEMBER OF Government backed Civil Defence Forces (CDF) , Represented the first ever
convictions by an International Court on charges relating to the recruitment and use of children
in conflict . According to the Twenty-first report of the UN Secretary-General on the UN
Mission in Sierra Leone, the initial program of reintegration of former combatants was closed on
31 December 2003. It is estimated that the majority of the 6,845 child combatants, including 529
girls, who had been demobilized by 2002 had been reunited with their families, and some 3,000
had been absorbed into a community education program run by UNICEF.
Conclusion
Beah’s extraordinary memoir is thus a clarion cry for the better future of children. It is deeply
moving and uplifting, at the same time. Though Beah was turned into a professional killer, he
was able to outlive the suffering and sustain his childhood innocence. His work was able to
commit his country, to protect and ensure Child Rights. Any nation directly or indirectly
involved in violating the rights of children is accountable for their actions before the
International community. Ishmael Beah’s autobiography ‘A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy
Soldier’ robustly support the argument that, writing of Rights in not a formal procedure or
ceremony but realistic and aesthetic attempt to underline the truth that life is not worth living
without the dignity ensured by Human Rights.
“We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone
today” says Stacia Tauscher
Works Cited:
Beah, Ishmael. A Long Way Gone : Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. New Delhi: HarperCollins ,
2007.
Goldberg, Dr. Elizabeth Swanson. "Human Rights and Literature :Interdisciplanary approach to
Scholarship and Pedadogy." 16 August 2010. 16 August 2010.
Honwana, Alende. Child Soldiers in Africa. University of Pennsylvania, 2007.
Mark, Ensaloco and Linda C Majak, Children's Human Rights:Progress and ChallengesChildren
WorldWide. Maryland: Rowman and Littlefied, 2005.
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Galaxy: International Multidisciplinary Research Journal
ISSN 2278-9529
Mary, Geseke and Ensalaco Mark. "Three prints in the Dirt:Child Soldiers and Human Rights."
n.d. Chapter 5.
Rosen, David M. Armies of the Young : Soldiers in War and Terriorism . Rutger UP 2005, 2005.
Wessells, Michael. Child Soldiers : From Violence to Protection. Harvard University Press,
2000.
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