About the Author : Ishmael Beah
By Christine Seo
In the novel A Long Way Gone the main character, as well as the narrator, is called Ishmael Beah. He was a child soldier in the military during the civil war between the Sierra Leone government and the Revolutionary United Front, also known as the rebels. The rebels are blamed for the death of Ishmael's family, and his motivation to keep fighting in the war was his bloodthirsty desire for revenge. Before the war, he had a joyful childhood in his village in Mogbwemo. Now a child soldier, he has become a violent killer and his actions went over the edge. However, when UNICEF, a charity made for children around the world, rescues the boy soldiers, including Ishmael, to be rehabilitated. With the support of Ishmael’s far uncle and other distant family members, he learned to control his anger and become less influenced about the war itself. He learned to use his story effectively to educate the children about how war affects a various range of people, and telling them the kindness of people who care.
By Jae Choi
Ishmael is a young man from Mogbwemo, Sierra Leone. Ishmael has two brothers, one older and one younger half brother. His father divorced his mother when Ishmael was young therefore lives separately with his younger half brother. Before the fighting began, Ishmael took a liking into American hip hop. Ishmael began to learn English by listening to rap music and even participates at the school talent show with his dance moves. After the fighting began, Ishmael was still a young man with the thought of his family back home. But after realizing that his town has been decimated by the RUF, he becomes hopeless and the only joy he finds in his life is his friends and brother. As the story progresses, Ishmael witnesses the violence and the hostility in the country. Towns attack the group of boys thinking they are RUF soldiers and eventually his brother is killed during a firefight. This insanity slowly corrupts him to the state where he can slit a person’s throat while looking him in the eye.
By Jae Choi
Ishmael is a young man from Mogbwemo, Sierra Leone. Ishmael has two brothers, one older and one younger half brother. His father divorced his mother when Ishmael was young therefore lives separately with his younger half brother. Before the fighting began, Ishmael took a liking into American hip hop. Ishmael began to learn English by listening to rap music and even participates at the school talent show with his dance moves. After the fighting began, Ishmael was still a young man with the thought of his family back home. But after realizing that his town has been decimated by the RUF, he becomes hopeless and the only joy he finds in his life is his friends and brother. As the story progresses, Ishmael witnesses the violence and the hostility in the country. Towns attack the group of boys thinking they are RUF soldiers and eventually his brother is killed during a firefight. This insanity slowly corrupts him to the state where he can slit a person’s throat while looking him in the eye.
About Sierra Leone
By Christine Seo
The book, A Long Way Gone, by Ishmael Beah, is taken place in Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone is a West African country that is surrounded and near by Liberia, Atlantic Ocean and Guinea. Although the capital of this country is Freetown, there were five other major villages that the main characters visited. Mattru Jong, the Southern Part of Sierra Leone, part of Bothe District. was actually the original plot of the story. It was not the first village to be attacked but it did leave a drastic impact. Mattru Jong was a decent village and had lots of connection because it became a meeting place thus leading good communication between various languages. Leading Ishmael to speak other tribal languages, which helped Ishmael a lot throughout the novel. First, they visited Yele, a village near a town called Moyamba, which is a densely forested village. The people there ate cassavas and bananas for living which helped the boys through starvation along the way to fight. Then, they also visited Bauya, which is another village. However this village was nearly deserted due to several attacks. Later this village became a railway junction due to its good environment and to supply the war via trains. Kabati is also an important village in the novel because it is between Mogbwemo and Mattru Jong, and it provided shelter for the locals. However the humid climate helped other animals and insects to survive. Kabati also does share a river with Mogbwemo. Lastly, Bonthe, is the island which was the first objective of our main character when he served a large controlling district by the government. Armed forces provided protection and a safe haven for the victims of the war between the RUF temporally. Like most parts of Sierra Leone, it is usually hot in Spring.
About the sierra leonean civil war
By Jae Choi
The Sierra Leone civil war started in 1991 when the Revolutionary United Front attempted to overthrow the government. The civil war lasted for 11 years and killed over 50,000 people. As a result to the government’s meager response to the RUF, a military coup d’éat occurred in 1992 by the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC). By 1993, the Sierra Leone army (SLA) drove back the RUF forces back to the Liberian border but failed to exterminate the threat. In 1997, group of SLA officers staged a coup d’etat and created the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) as the new government of Sierra Leone. After joining forces with the RUF, the AFRC marched to Freetown and savaged the capital city of Sierra Leone. Shocked by the murder,rape, and looting that followed the capture of Freetown, ECOMOG forces intervened and retook the city of Freetown. In 1999, world leaders intervened the situation in Sierra Leone to cease the fighting that have been going on for 8 years. UN peacekeeping forces were deployed to keep watch over the disarmament and to insure that no more violence erupted. Unlike the wish of the United Nations, the RUF began to advance upon Freetown in May of 2000. As the United Nations’ plan began to fall apart, the United Kingdom decided to intervene and defeat the RUF forces. With the support of the UN, British forces defeated the RUF forces in January of 2002, finally declaring the civil war over.