Last week's Pikin News topic was street children. We interviewed a 14-year-old boy named Franklin who lives in the town square and is a former rebel soldier. That means he couldn't have been more than 6 years old when he was taken from his family, given an AK-47 and forced to join the Revolutionary United Front. He now sleeps on top of tables in the market and pushes wheelbarrow loads to pay for his school fees. Franklin hasn't seen his family since the war.Speaking of boy soldiers, you should read A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah. Rumors have begun here that a Hollywood film called Child Soldier (based on this book) is in the works and a crew is coming to Makeni next month to begin research. They're rushing to finish building the new hotel in town to accommodate them. So I hear.
1 comment:
I think everyone needs to read A Long Way Gone. Just to gain an appreciation for what went on with these children and in that community. It's definitely a hard read.
Your parents went to go see Refugee All Stars last weekend. Did they tell you about it??
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