One Of The Unsettling Things

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.

When I Was Young, My Father Used To Say, ‘if You Are Alive, There Is Hope For A Better Day And Something Good To Happen. If There Is Nothing Good Left In The Destiny Of A Person, He Or She Will Die.’ I Thought About These Words During My Journey, And They Kept Me Moving Even When I Didn’t Know Where I Was Going. Those Words Became The Vehicle That Drove My Spirit Forward And Made It Stay Alive.

How Many More Times Do We Have To Come To Terms With Death Before We Find Safety?" He Asked. He Waited A Few Minutes, But The Three Of Us Didn't Say Anything. He Continued: "every Time People Come At Us With The Intention Of Killing Us, I Close My Eyes And Wait For Death. Even Though I Am Still Alive, I Feel Like Each Time I Accept Death, Part Of Me Dies. Very Soon I Will Completely Die And All That Will Be Left Is My Empty Body Walking With You. It Will Be Quieter Than I Am.

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

My Childhood Had Gone By Without My Knowing, And It Seemed As If My Heart Had Frozen.