WAR CHILDlistening Challenge Lyrics

The Power of our Voices

Date :

WAR CHILD

(lyrics by Emmanuel Jal and Clinton Outten) I believe I’ve survived for a reason to tell my story to touch lives I believe I’ve survived for a reason to tell my story to touch lives All the people struggling down there Storms only come for a while Then after a while they’ll be gone Blessed, blessed My father was working for the government as a policeman Few years later I heard he joined a rebel movement that was formed to fight for freedom I didn’t understand the politics behind all this ‘cause I was only a child After a while I saw the tension rising high between the Christian and the Muslim regime We lost our possession My mother, my mother’s mother suffered depression and because of this… I was forced to be a war child I’m a war child (ane ge kore, kore*) I’m a war child (ane ge kore, kore*) I believe I’ve survived for a reason to tell my story to touch lives (touch lives, touch lives, touch lives, touch lives, touch lives, touch lives, touch lives) I lost my father in this battle My brothers too perished in this struggle All my life I’ve been hiding in the jungle The pain I’m cutting is too much to handle Who’s there please to light up my candle Is there anyone to hear my cry.

* South Sudanese dialect, translation: ‘and I’m crying, crying’

Your listening TASK  With your team , you are going to explore a song by Emmanuel Jal.  Listen to the song once and complete or answer the questions.

Name of Song: Written by: Performed by: Genre :

a- Listen to the song once and identify the number of verses. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……..………………………

b- Listen now and focus on the repetitions to help you identify the chorus. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………

c- What is the theme of the song? ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ……………………………………………………………

d- Who is the speaker (narrative voice) of the song? ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ……………………………………………………………

 Study the lyrics. Answer the questions to check your understanding

of the song. a- List all the people mentioned? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………

b- Focus on his family and take additional notes.

c- Tick the issues that are dealt with in the song : civil war pollution  racism

education

famine

politics 

freedom 

religion

human rights 

d- Make a list of the human rights being referred to in the song ? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………

e- Pick out the words or expressions related to … Suffering /violence

hope

f- What do you think is the purpose of the song? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………

g- To whom (or to what audience) is the song addressed? Explain. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………

h- Describe how this song makes you feel and why. In other words, what mood does the song convey (véhiculer) ? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………