"If I could change one thing, I would want there to be more love" - Nyaruach
Nyaruach chatted to us about music, lockdown life and future plans:
Your work focuses on the rights of women. How is life for the women in the Kakuma camp in Kenya where you previously lived?
I love women! I have to speak out about a lot of things from here: in South Sudan a lot of women do not have a voice and have mental health problems because of the threat of being beaten, killed or raped by men. Many women keep quiet as they are embarrassed – but if you keep quiet who will know you are going through this pain? Even when they give birth they struggle as there are not enough doctors. There is no help from the government. We don’t have a voice – why? Because men have power. I would like men to respect women. We need their love and respect.
Refugees in the Kakuma camp are traumatised and just trying to manage, they have very few choices and they can only stay there. Life is hard - you have nowhere to go, you don’t have enough food, there is no medicine. If you go through war you are scared of losing your life, but things can change completely. So I would like to share my story with the women there to give them hope, and tell them this is how we can manage the situation: life can change when there is peace and you can move, you can change your life.
How do you find life in the UK so far?
Life is very different here compared to a refugee camp because there is not enough there. I involved my life in politics because I was born in a war. I have thought a lot about our futures and how we can stop war. There have been a lot of struggles with questioning leaders on why they are killing. My heart is wounded and I am still suffering. But here there is no war: no gunshots all the time, life is different. I live in a good house now and I eat nicely. While I am in lockdown I am not going anywhere. I eat, I sing and I read books while I wait for my documents. But without a job life is so difficult.
How was the experience recording your Refugee Week video with your brother Emmanuel Jal while he is in Canada during lockdown?
While everything is in lockdown I focus on my music. I can do a song alone but I miss Emmanuel and miss working together, we do everything together. It has been amazing (to join Refugee Week) but at this time (in lockdown) we are doing music differently to how we do music in Africa. We have done this performance through the internet so we had no DJ, we sent our voice recordings through the computer. But really we have enjoyed it because we love our job. Emmanuel and I see everything one and the same. When there’s no lockdown, Emmanuel can come from Canada and we can perform together again because we are a team.
What are your plans for your music here, and how would you like to develop your work in future?
I love music, because music overcomes problems. It encourages me. My plan is to focus on my music no matter what. If I focus, I know tomorrow, life and other people will change through experiencing my message because there’s a lot in the songs and words. You can never give up even if you have no money, you have to keep going on. If I work hard and get my papers I have to commit and help women. That’s the time I will be free and can have some freedom to move.
Nyaruach was interviewed by MU member & Counterpoints Arts music curator, Sashwati Mira Sengupta.
Nyaruach and her brother, the internationally renowned rapper Emmanuel Jal, will be presenting a special video for the festival, at 7:00 pm on Thursday 18 June, with an interview and songs. The sibling duo are survivors of the Sudanese Civil War, and through their music and peace activism they promote human rights and social change.
What’s happening for Refugee Week
Refugee Week is a nationwide annual arts festival coordinated by Counterpoints Arts, sharing the voices, talents and experiences of refugees. This year the festival presents the theme of #Imagine, showcasing the artists visions for the future world.
A rundown of the online events taking place for Refugee week:
Thursday 18 June
- 7:00 pm - 7:30 pm, Nyaruach & Emmanuel Jal – Interview and songs by the South Sudanese sister and brother duo. Find out more.
- 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm, Tardast – Liverpool’s Iranian grime rapper presents ‘Mirrors’ with the Manteq collective. The short film is a metaphor representing reflections on memories and flashbacks. Find out more.
- 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm, Thris Tian and Worldwide FM – a special Global Roots show for Refugee Week with music and interviews. Find out more.
Friday 19 June
- 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm, Lady Leshurr on The Positive Power of Football Chants – launching a new song created by the acclaimed MC celebrating the diversity of football, followed by a discussion. Find out more.
For more information see Refugee Week’s website.