Best-selling author and former child soldier Ishmael Beah is set to speak at McGill on Sunday, Feb. 3 in an event organized by Hillel McGill, the Student Coalition Against Hate and Students Helping Others Understand Tolerance. Beah's speech, A Long Way Gone: A Story of Redemption and Hope, is titled in part after his autobiographical novel, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, which recounts his experiences in Sierra Leone.
"Mr. Beah's story of a boy soldier overcoming a horrific past while maintaining a message of hope and inspiration fits perfectly with our mandate and the goal of [SHOUT]," said SHOUT National Chair Candice Salmon.
However, Beah's reputation has recently been called into question. In two articles published on Jan. 19 and 21, reporters Peter Wilson and Shelley Gare of The Australian questioned the truth of some facts in Beah's book.
"We first heard from The Australian in early December," said Jeff Seroy, a representative from Beah's publishing house, Farrar, Straus & Giroux. "Shelley Gare called to say that Bob Lloyd [an Australian general manager of a mine in Sierra Leone] claimed to have found Beah's father and two brothers."
After reading Beah's book, Lloyd originally contacted The Australian after one of his employees claimed to be Beah's father. While this claim was later disproved, Wilson and Gare claimed to have uncovered inaccuracies in A Long Way Gone. Beah wrote in his book that an attack on his village of Mogbwemo occurred in January 1993, but Wilson and Gare talked to people in the village who dated that same attack to January 1995. This would mean that Beah became a child soldier at 15 rather than 13 and spent much less time as a soldier than he claimed.
In a Jan. 22 press release, Beah stood by the facts in his book and denounced The Australian for their accusations, writing that "they believe anything they are told-unless it comes from me or supports my account." Farrar, Straus & Giroux have stood by Beah as well.
"Ishmael, from what we believe, is right with his dates," Seroy said. "I don't believe [The Australian has] made a case."
The Australian made more allegations in articles published last Friday and Saturday, citing another former child soldier named Kabba Williams who questioned events in Beah's book. Among the events in question is a January 1996 fight in which Beah writes that six people were killed, but that no one else remembers occurring.
President of Hillel McGill Eric Goldberg said that he was not familiar with The Australian's allegations, but was not troubled over the ongoing controversy surrounding A Long Way Gone.
"I don't think some facts about his age are relevant in the general scheme of things," he said.
Salmon hoped that the negative buzz surrounding the book will not get in the way of Beah's messages of tolerance and survival.
"We have no comment regarding . . . the allegations placed upon Mr. Beah," she said. "We believe that the power of Ishmael's story is important to hear."
Beah will speak Feb. 3 at 2:00 p.m. in Leacock 123. Tickets are available at Hillel House (3460 Stanley). They are free for students and $20 for non-students.
2008 Woodie Awards
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Barry Milburn
posted 1/31/08 @ 3:35 PM EST
The attack on Sieromco and Sierra Rutile Ltd (SRL) did not take place in january 1993. It took place in Jan 1995. I worked for SRL from July 1992 to Jan 1994 and no rebel attacks on those mines took place while I was there. (Continued…)
Barry Milburn
posted 2/06/08 @ 3:59 PM EST
A link, one of many, to prove when the attcks on the mine took place (in 1995).
[url]http://www.afrol.com/articles/16084[/url]
[quote] Prior to the 25 January 1995 rebel attack on the mine, the Sierra Rutile Mining Company was Sierra Leone's largest employer and biggest tax-payer to government. (Continued…)
Post a Comment