NSB Logo Emmanuel Jal Emmanuel Jal

Emmanuel Jal

Speaker

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Musician, Activist & Former Child Soldier

Emmanuel Jal was born into the life of a child solider on an unknown date in the early 1980s in the war-torn region of Southern Sudan. Through unbelievable struggles, Emmanuel managed to survive and establish himself as a peace ambassador, entrepreneur, life performance coach, and successful recording artist; achieving worldwide acclaim for his unique style of hip hop with its message of peace and reconciliation born out of his personal experiences. 

Keynote Speeches

Virtual Keynotes & Webinars
Contact us for more information about this speaker & their virtual presentations. Click here for some of the most popular formats for virtual events.
My Life is Art

Emmanuel Jal is a living expert in mental health and resilience. He started his life as a child soldier in war torn South-Sudan and after overcoming a number of struggles, transformed his life into one of a successful recording artist, peace ambassador, philanthropist and entrepreneur. On his pathway to peace, Emmanuel developed a method to rewire his mind, which was overwhelmed by experiences of war, poverty, and trauma.

Through his energetic and unique storytelling approach, Jal inspires audiences to find their own inner peace and balance to cope with stress and anxiety. 

Through this presentation, participants will:

  • Learn how to control stress and anxiety.
  • Rewrite their limiting beliefs and develop habits for personal and professional success.
  • Activate their motivational circuit to achieve their goals.
  • Develop a strategy for self-development with actionable steps to create behavioral changes in their professional role and personal life.
Education & Well-being for Schools

In this compelling presentation, Emmanuel uses the power of spoken word and music to provide a truly authentic insight into the complex global issues around poverty and war. Centered around Emmanuel’s remarkable personal experiences, he offers essential knowledge and practical wellbeing tools suitable for any young person.

An accompanying educational pack can be included to this keynote which includes online resources and lessons brought to students through a series of intimate talks, lessons and interactive opportunities.

War Child a Story of Survival

Emmanuel offers a greater philosophical message about war and peace. He translates his traumatic past as a child soldier into a positive experience that reflects the strength of human character. His lecture focuses on the power of human generosity, the need for political support in Sudan and what each of us can do to make a difference. Music is central to his message and at each appearance as Jal raps for freedom and sings for absolution.

 

We Want Peace

Emmanuel shares his experience as a child soldier for the purposes of social-emotional learning and peace education, while still creating awareness on various issues. We Want Peace maximizes on the learning opportunities around Emmanuel’s story which enable audiences to understand more fully the complex uses around child soldiers, forced migration, war and how to engage in a more peaceful life, starting with education.

The Journey of a Refugee

Emmanuel shares the story of his remarkable journey from Sudan to Canada. At 11 years old he met a British aid worker who insisted he should not be a soldier. She adopted him and smuggled him to Kenya. After her death he was forced to live in a refugee camp where he focused on music. His songs soon received international acclaim. Now living in Canada, Emmanuel is a model refugee, citizen and someone who gives back to his community. In this presentation he shares his experiences and perspective as a refugee.

Platform Plus Presentations

Unique formats and ways to connect with audiences.
Spoken Word
Having left his war-torn country of South Sudan behind, Emmanuel has become a successful musician and activist campaigning for peace and education. Watch as he delivers a powerful spoken word performance.
Celebrity Partnerships
Workshops
Emmanuel will work with organizations to deliver effective, tailor-made workshops to improve culture and help people feel and perform at their best. Workshop specialties include: meditation and mindfulness techniques for busy professionals, creating habits and beliefs for success, building mental space to think clearly, creatively and strategically, and using courage to drive change.

Audience reviews:

  • Emmanuel Jal inspire his audience towards seriously contemplating the changes that they could make in the world that we live in today. Providing himself as an example of how exceptionalism and creativity can manifest itself anywhere in anyone, Jal sparked hope in the audience while also being a very entertaining speaker.

    - THIMUN Foundation, Model United Nations Conference
  • The audience thoroughly enjoyed Emmanuel's presentation in every respect. Pretty much everyone said it was the best Remembrance Day event we'd ever had and the parents that attended loved it too. He is a very warm individual and it was a real treat for all of us to meet him. I am so very glad we did this.

    - Mentor College
  • Emmanuel Jal was able to express his deepest feelings and all the challenges that faced him during his tough childhood through music, he inspired and will inspire generations and gave them motivation to make a change in the world and to promote peace.

    - THIMUN Foundation, Model United Nations Conference
  • He inspired me because it showed me that even at your darkest moments good things are to come.

    - Student, Virginia Tech University

Speaker Biography

Emmanuel co-starred with Reese Witherspoon in the Warner Brothers motion picture, The Good Lie which tells the story about the journey of four young Sudanese refugees (based on The Lost Boys of Sudan) who win a lottery for relocation to the United States. The film made its debut to rave reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival before being released in October 2014. Emmanuel has also appeared as the adult lead in the major motion picture Africa United; a Pathé, UK Film Council and BBC Films presentation in association with Warner Bros, released in October 2010.

Emmanuel is in demand as a speaker and has addressed the UN, US Congress, the Carter Centre and the highest tiers of several governments. He has been involved with the British Council, Amnesty International, Oxfam, and the Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace, and Security. Emmanuel continues to support and work alongside Amnesty International as one of their main spokespeople. 

For his outstanding commitment to peace building, Jal has been awarded the Vaclav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent 2018, Desmond Tutu Reconciliation Award 2017, Hero in the global campaign against violent extremism – UNESCO 2016, The Hunt Humanitarian Award, The Dresden Peace Prize and The Common Ground Award amongst others. In 2012 Emmanuel was made a Young Global Leader for the World Economic Forum and continues to speak at high level conferences for Rotary International, the G20 summit, One Young World and Richard Branson’s Virgin Unite conference on Necker Island. 

In 2008 a full-length documentary on his life was released. The film, Warchild, won 12 prestigious film festival awards worldwide. In the same year, his autobiography, also called Warchild was published by Little Brown. Emmanuel has released numerous award nominated studio albums: “Naath,” “The Key,” “Gua,” “Ceasefire,” “Warchild” and “See Me Mama.” His live appearances have included Live 8, Nelson Mandela’s 90th Birthday Concert and the One Concert for his Holiness the Dalai Lama. He has collaborated and performed alongside artists such as Lauryn Hill, Xavier Rudd, Peter Gabriel, Nelly Furtado, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Joss Stone, Ed Sheeran, Nile Rodgers and Alicia Keys.

Emmanuel founded Gua Africa in 2009 in order to promote education in Africa through academic sponsorships to refugees who have survived war and genocide, construction of classrooms and the provision of resources such as books, pencils and teacher’s salaries that ensure schools remain open during times of emergency. Projects are based in both South Sudan and Kenya with a focus on providing education to children and young adults who would otherwise be denied this opportunity.

In December 2010, Jal released “We Want Peace,” as part of the wider campaign of the same name calling for peace, protection and justice for all in Sudan ahead of the January 2011 referendum. It also called for an end to all conflicts affecting innocent people around the world. The campaign was supported by A-list artist and leading figures from diverse fields, including George Clooney, Alicia Keys, Richard Branson, Jimmy Carter and Kofi Annan.

Emmanuel is also the creator of Jal Gua, a gluten free super food powder made of organic sorghum and organic moringa. Jal Gua has a distribution deal with Pilling Foods in Ontario, Canada and is currently stocked in major health stores across Canada including WHOLE FOODS.