In Early 1993, When I Was 12,

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 Joined The Army To Avenge The Deaths Of My Family And To Survive, But I've Come To Learn That If I Am Going To Take Revenge, In That Process I Will Kill Another Person Whose Family Will Want Revenge; Then Revenge And Revenge And Revenge Will Never Come To An End.

A Lot Of People, When They Say Forgive And Forget, They Think You Completely Wash Your Brain Out And Forget Everything. That Is Not The Concept. What I Think Is You Forgive And You Forget So You Can Transform Your Experiences, Not Necessarily Forget Them But Transform Them, So That They Dont Haunt You Or Handicap You Or Kill You.

I Guess What I'd Like To Say Is That People In Sierra Leone Are Human Beings, Just Like Americans. They Want To Send Their Kids To School; They Want To Live In Peace; They Want To Have Their Basic Rights Of Life Just Like Everyone Else. I Think We All Owe An Obligation To Support People Who Want To Do That.

I Believe That There Is A God, And Coming From An African Tradition, I Believe Also That There Are Gods.