We Must Strive To Be Like The

Some People Tried To Hurt Us To Protect Themselves, Their Family And Communities...this Was One Of The Consequences Of Civil War. People Stopped Trusting Each Other, And Every Stranger Became An Enemy. Even People Who Knew You Became Extremely Careful About How They Related Or Spoke To You.

My Squad Is My Family, My Gun Is My Provider, And Protector, And My Rule Is To Kill Or Be Killed.

In Early 1993, When I Was 12, I Was Separated From My Family As The Sierra Leone Civil War, Which Began Two Years Earlier, Came Into My Life.

I Grew Up In Sierra Leone, In A Small Village Where As A Boy My Imagination Was Sparked By The Oral Tradition Of Storytelling. At A Very Young Age I Learned The Importance Of Telling Stories - I Saw That Stories Are The Most Potent Way Of Seeing Anything We Encounter In Our Lives, And How We Can Deal With Living.

How Many More Times Do We Have To Come To Terms With Death Before We Find Safety?