Emmanuel Jal Speaks Out About His Police Ordeal

Two weeks after Kenyan-bred South Sudanese rapper Emmanuel Jal was assaulted by police in his home country. Speaking to Voice of America reporter about the ordeal, Jal revealed that he had stopped to ask some policemen for directions when they brutally beat him unconscious.

Jal was enthusiastic that despite the onslaught democracy is working in South Sudan because a spokesperson for the police called him after the incident asking him to participate in a live debate on the radio.

“That’s great”, he told VOA, “and the good thing is that I think South Sudan is moving forward because I’m talking about my freedom, how I’ve been beaten, and nobody harassed me after that. Usually, in other countries, you’ll even get beaten more if you talk about that,” said Jal.

He divulged to the VOA reporter that when the police who beat him were finally taken in for questioning by national security officials he thought that his country was headed in the right direction.

Especially with the future in the hands of active citizens like Emmanuel Jal and his infectious enthusiasm, peace and democracy in South Sudan have a fighting chance.