Emmanuel Jal wears many hats. The South Sudanese-Canadian is a musician, actor, speaker, political activist and businessman. His story is a powerful tale of overcoming challenges as he rose from a child soldier to a celebrated South Sudanese icon. Jal’s discography is studded with 7 albums: Gua, Ceasefire, Warchild, See Me Mama, The Key, Naath, and his latest album Shangah. His music career produced hits such as Rakaboom, Hey Mama, Lele, Talking To Me and Cush among others. 

Versatility is his main strength; if we are to describe his sound as he has a multi-genre tracklist covering genres such as Afrobeat, Rock, and Hip Hop spreading across several themes such as love, healing, heritage and activism. As a live music performer Emmanuel Jal has performed on both big and small stages including Nelson Mandela’s 90th Birthday Concert and the One Concert for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Lauryn Hill, Xavier Rudd, Nelly Furtado, Ed Sheeran, and Alicia Keys are just some of the artists he has performed alongside, so far.

Apart from his music success, the Cush singer has also made a name for himself in the activism circles through several initiatives such as the We Want Peace campaign in 2010. Jal is also a highly sought after public speaker courtesy of his confidence and storytelling skills. 

Early in the year, he launched his health store Jal Gua in the heart of Kenyatta Market, Nairobi Kenya. The establishment serves African healthy food & delicacies as well as healthy spices and organic food, skin, and hair products.

We caught up with him to learn more about his journey so far and future plans. 

Congratulations on the launch of Jal Gua. Tell us, what is Jal Gua?

Jal means ‘to walk’ or ‘visitor/traveler’ and Gua means ‘good’ in my mother tongue Naath, but ‘power’ in Arabic. In essence Jal Gua means ‘tembea na nguvu’ in Swahili which translates to ‘walk in power.’

What inspired you to charter the path of wellness and nutrition?

Jal Gua was created because when I was on the road, I created a superfood where I mixed two ingredients – moringa and sorghum. This can be eaten raw, mixed with water or smoothies or even used to make energy balls. 

I had spent 4 to 6 years learning about food. Afterwards, different people approached me to support them. They would pay me to coach them to either lose weight or overcome high blood pressure, diabetes etc. So I decided to share what I eat with the public. Afterall, food is medicine, you are what you eat. 

Speaking of food, what is your favorite meal?

Walwal is made of fermented sorghum rolled into little round balls. It can be eaten with milk or soup. You can also turn it into little couscous and steam making it look like rice.

What wellness misconception(s) ick you the most?

It is how wellness is overmarketed and how in the process it can lose its authenticity. I always insist that people need to look at the results of what is being marketed. Bad people know how to organize themselves and work together. Good people on the hand are divided and thrive on tearing each other apart. 

Looking back from your days as a child soldier to now, how has that experience  led to the development of who you are today and how has that affected/inspired your chosen career paths?

Most of the heroes that I look up to are people who went through challenges. I draw energy from my past and have managed to find meaning in every stage of my life. My experiences have enabled me to be a storyteller and even a counselor as I have been able to overcome my past trauma. Various universities have booked and paid me to speak to people. As a result, I make more as a speaker than I do as a musician.

Being a polymath, how do you find a balance between your different careers – music, activism, film, wellness?

When you are young, you have a lot of energy and want to do everything. However, when you get older, you realize that you can focus on one thing at a time. Over time, I have learned to put a team together that manages what I want to do. So I share the experience with the people then allow the system to run by itself, so it costs me less energy to actualize the dream.

What advice would you give an artist using their art to spread conscious messages or also practicing activism?

Figure out why you are doing it. Your vision, mission, goals etc. Sometimes we jump into ideas without thinking. A poor mindset can’t think beyond a month, it only acts on instincts and emotions. Once you understand the big picture, you will flow in your journey without comparing yourself to others because you know your destination.

Out of your entire catalog, which song did you struggle the most to complete and why?

‘Mr. President.’ I would start writing it, leave it, then try again until I cracked the code. There is also a song called ‘Shangah.’ I struggled to create it because of the style. It was hard figuring out how to put in the guitars, and the flow to make it work.

What would you say has been your lowest moment(s) in your career?

There were so many low moments. One of my songs – ‘Talking To Me’ was written when I felt stagnant. I wrote the lyrics to myself to get a boost. Sometimes as artists we forget our purpose and our minds are attacked by different perspectives that try to tell us that we are no longer relevant. It all goes back to building your motivation circuit and how you fuel it. 

You have gained a reputation for your electric and inspiring live shows. What do you enjoy the most about performing live?

You get to become a child again, connect with your audience. It’s even better when the audience know your songs. 

Your 7th Studio album ‘Shangah’ was well received. What was the inspiration behind the album?

Shangah means ‘I am blessed’. The album is inspired by the Shangah song. It is basically celebrating the positive aspects of my life.

Which song(s) are you listening to currently?

There is a new song called ‘Cross Over’ that I have done with a 12-year-old Kenyan singer called Angel and a South Sudanese rapper called Shama and it is amazing! It is due for release this March and I am sure the people will absolutely love it. Next level stuf!. It makes me super excited because these 2 kids are super talented and I am glad to collaborate with them as they nurture their craft.

What inspires your sense of fashion?

I use fashion to stay connected to my roots. When I am about to get lost, it grounds me, reminds me of where I am from so that I don’t grow horns. Also I rock outfits to express my creativity too.

Having traveled all over the world, which country did you feel most at home in?

I would say that Kenya is my second home after South Sudan. I also love Ethiopia and Canada. Home is where you are loved, that’s really my way of living. 

Which artists would you love to work with?

Currently, I am really interested in working with East African artists. I had reached out to Khaligraph but that didn’t work out. I have also done a project with Nonini and a couple others with Juliani. In the future I want to work with Sauti Sol and Matata. 

Sometime back I initiated a project with Nas and Damian Marley but it didn’t work as intended. I am really open to work with both established and upcoming acts because at the end of the day what matters is that there must be good timing and chemistry for a collaboration to work. 

What mantra do you live by?

My mantras change depending on what challenges I am facing. If for instance, I am struggling with focus, then I center my mantra for that period around that so that I figure out the software that I need to install in my brain to tackle the issue(s) at hand.