The Lion

Artist Statement

            “We went from children who were afraid of gunshots to now children who were gunshots.” – Ishmael Beah (former child soldier in Sierra Leone)

            As we approached our topic of child soldiers and war, we found it difficult to write our script due in large part to our lack of experience with such matters. Drawing largely upon stories Hunter had heard on his mission in Sierra Leone and research, we were however able to articulate our ideas into a coherent script.

            Having served in Sierra Leone, a country in which child soldiers were employed during the civil war of 1991-2002, Hunter was able to hear several stories from Africans who had fought as child soldiers. These stories were both shocking and disturbing. One such survivor spoke of arms being cut off at the wrists or shoulders depending on if the victim wanted “short sleeves” or “long sleeves.” Another survivor was betrayed to rebels by his father. These ideas cast a vivid backdrop to our story and allowed us to achieve some level of authenticity, despite our lack of personal experiences in such matters.

            Despite the gruesome and disgusting nature of these stories, however, we desired to write a script covering the theme of redemption. We found this to be a very realistic theme due to Hunter’s experiences with survivors. Many of them have gone on to live normal lives. Some are cooks, some are tailors, some are just moms. They are tied together through their experiences as child soldiers, but even more so through their quest for and eventual triumph in humanity. Through this idea, we came up with the concept of art as a redemptive medium. Kolleh, based off of an actual person known by Hunter, is able to remember and reconnect with his own humanity through the art and actions of another.

Although redemption was our ultimate goal, we also wished to portray some of the horrors of child soldiers. Drawing from Neufeld’s “After the Deluge” we wished to show the confusion that comes from innocence and ignorance. Just as the victims of hurricane Katrina didn’t believe that the hurricane would be so severe and went on with their normal lives, we wished to show the normalcy of life within a war zone, characterized by Kadi’s capturing of the butterfly.

In conclusion, we were able to achieve an almost archetypal narrative with hints of personality drawn from stories of actual survivors. Although we are not experts, we are human and are able to understand to some small extent the sorrow and despair that can be washed away by the joy and elation of redemption.