Ishmael Beah shared his story
with students and community members
Wednesday at Souhegan High School.
(Staff Photo by Bob Hammerstrom)

AMHERST – A former child soldier in the Sierra Leone civil war and the man who helped him rediscover his humanity shared the stage at Souhegan High School on Wednesday.

Ishmael Beah, 29, a former soldier and now a New York Times best-selling author, and his mentor, Alusine Kamara, shared their story of redemption with students and members of the community.

Until the early 1990s, Beah was living a happy life in Sierra Leone. But then a group of rebels from Liberia came in and plunged the country into chaos.

At age 13, Beah was conscripted into the government's army and forced to kill or be killed. UNICEF removed Beah from the war when he was 16 and he was placed in a rehabilitation center for child soldiers run by Kamara called Benin Home.

Beah, who is now a UNICEF ambassador for children affected by armed conflict, moved to the United States in 1998 and now lives in New York City. He graduated from Oberlin College in 2004. Several students read Beah's memoir, "A Long Way Gone," in anticipation of his visit.

Beah praised Kamara for giving him a new life, a task that wasn't easy because the boys didn't want to be rehabilitated.

"Without your strength to see humanity when even we couldn't see it, it wouldn't be possible for me to sit here," said Beah. "We thought we were capable of violence and nothing more."

Kamara's explained other people in the country didn't want to deal with young soldiers because they had been so hardened by violence. In fact, Beah's peers had been dubbed the "Lost Generation."

Kamara defined his mission as nothing less than saving the country. He was 41 years old at the time, already beyond the life expectancy of 40 for a man in Sierra Leone.

"We are fading away," said Kamara describing his motivation. "What's going to happen if we don't take action?"

Kamara said he was pleased with Beah's success and said it made his life worthwhile. After about a decade of being separated, the pair was reunited at a book event in 2007.

Both men said it was difficult to put into words how they felt upon seeing each other again. "It was as if part of my story came alive," said Beah.

The event was moderated by Betsy Small Campbell, a Milford resident and advisory board member of Schools for Salone, a nonprofit charity for helping students in Sierra Leone. Beah is also an advisory board member.

Also speaking was Danielle Fogel of the Peace Corps. She visited a school built by Schools for Salone in Sierra Leone. The war ended in 2002 and she said the country has moved on.

"You couldn't imagine there was a 10-year civil war here, right?" said Fogel, showing a picture of a peaceful looking city in Sierra Leone during her slide presentation.

To donate to Schools for Salone, mail to: 9215 40th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98115-3712 or contact Cindy Nofziger at cindy@schoolsforsalone.org.

Daymond Steer can be reached at dsteer@cabinet.com