On Wednesday, a really great story fell into my lap.
Daily Collegian reporter Dinah Gorelik had an interview scheduled with , a Sudanese rapper, activist and former child soldier in the Sudan People’s Liberation Army [SPLA]. I was asked to shoot some video. He laughed when he saw my camera. “I didn’t know this was going to be videotaped,” he said, looking down at his track suit. “I’m in my pajamas.” After I promised him I’d just shoot from the shoulders-up, he invited us to his room, away from the noise of the hotel lobby. He asked all of the questions for the first part of the interview, most of them about my camera, because he’s been thinking about investing in a point-and-shoot camcorder to do promotional videos for his charity, Jal spoke with Gorelik about his life in Sudan, and his work since he left the SPLA and found music. His path to hip hop stardom is an uncommon one, but he kept drawing connections between the inspiration behind American hip hop and his own art. video after the jump He was also surprisingly energetic, considering he was on day 80 of a fasting campaign for GUA Africa, which Jal called “lose to win,” trying to raise money to build a school – brick by brick – in Sudan.
Check out the video I put together here.