WEBVTT - How Aminata Conteh-Biger Turned Harrow Into Hope 0:00:00.320 --> 0:00:03.440 We'd like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land 0:00:03.520 --> 0:00:06.880 on which this podcast was produced, the gadigall people of 0:00:06.920 --> 0:00:10.479 the orination. We pay our respects to elders past and present. 0:00:11.920 --> 0:00:15.720 In this episode, Amenada shares her confronting first hand experience 0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:19.320 of war. There are discussions of rape, murder and abuse. 0:00:19.760 --> 0:00:22.279 Support is available through the links and phone numbers in 0:00:22.320 --> 0:00:23.000 the show notes. 0:00:25.079 --> 0:00:28.960 It's nineteen ninety nine and we're with Amanata Conte Bijour 0:00:29.280 --> 0:00:33.279 in her family home in Sarah Leone's capital. As the 0:00:33.280 --> 0:00:37.120 civil war rages on. All houses surrounding hers have been 0:00:37.159 --> 0:00:42.559 burnt to the ground. It's been a particularly brutal, violent 0:00:42.640 --> 0:00:46.960 few weeks. Her bright yellow house is the only one 0:00:47.000 --> 0:00:51.720 that remains, and has become the safe place for her family, friends, 0:00:51.960 --> 0:00:57.160 and even strangers who have nowhere to go. Today, this 0:00:57.560 --> 0:01:02.000 all changes. They hear the voices of the rebels are 0:01:02.000 --> 0:01:06.640 followed by a bash at the door. Despite everyone's best 0:01:06.680 --> 0:01:10.640 efforts to stay silent, the rebels know there are people 0:01:10.760 --> 0:01:14.240 inside and start yelling threats to burn the house down 0:01:14.680 --> 0:01:20.360 with everyone in it. Eighteen year old Amanata knows these 0:01:20.600 --> 0:01:25.240 aren't empty frets. She's watched it happen right in front 0:01:25.240 --> 0:01:29.800 of her. They are found and dragged outside by fifty 0:01:29.959 --> 0:01:36.240 rebels and child soldiers. Amanata clutches onto her father's hand. 0:01:37.440 --> 0:01:40.680 One of the rebels locks eyes with her and starts 0:01:40.840 --> 0:01:47.080 heading towards her. I'm Att Middleton and this is head 0:01:47.120 --> 0:01:57.960 game today, turning harrow into hope. Thank you ever so 0:01:58.040 --> 0:02:01.040 much for joining me. Talk to me about you upbringing 0:02:01.120 --> 0:02:03.720 in Sera Leone and where you come from, and you know, 0:02:04.360 --> 0:02:05.160 did you have normal. 0:02:05.080 --> 0:02:07.920 Bring My childhood was beautiful, It was beautiful. It was 0:02:08.040 --> 0:02:10.560 very special because I was raised by the most incredible 0:02:10.600 --> 0:02:14.360 human being, my father. So I grew up in what 0:02:14.720 --> 0:02:16.960 you would say in the west bubble like. My dad 0:02:17.000 --> 0:02:21.359 was very protective man. He raised us all all his children, 0:02:21.520 --> 0:02:24.720 and we as a daughter, we grew up very knowing 0:02:24.800 --> 0:02:27.080 that the girls are special, which is very rare in 0:02:27.280 --> 0:02:31.240 places like Africa, that the girls the men are treated 0:02:31.280 --> 0:02:34.880 differently than the boys. Ours was the opposite, and our 0:02:34.960 --> 0:02:37.720 childhood was so it was just beautiful. We live sort 0:02:37.760 --> 0:02:40.239 of like an English kind of life because he traveled 0:02:40.240 --> 0:02:42.320 a lot to the UK and he loved that life, 0:02:43.280 --> 0:02:46.440 and so at home we just watched movies in the 0:02:46.480 --> 0:02:49.600 digestive biscuit where new balance all these things and watching 0:02:49.639 --> 0:02:53.440 James Bond movies that would come out, and it was 0:02:53.560 --> 0:02:56.640 just one of those places where I didn't grow that 0:02:56.760 --> 0:02:59.440 anything can hurt me. All of my siblings did think 0:02:59.480 --> 0:03:00.119 that way. 0:03:00.680 --> 0:03:01.600 How many girls were there? 0:03:02.560 --> 0:03:08.839 Six six and I have my two older sisters who 0:03:09.040 --> 0:03:11.160 went to the UK in ninety eighty just before were 0:03:11.800 --> 0:03:15.520 before I was born in ninety eighty and they lived 0:03:15.560 --> 0:03:19.160 there and then but he all most of the children 0:03:19.680 --> 0:03:23.560 were in the UK, but then I've traveled so when 0:03:24.000 --> 0:03:26.080 so because we were younger, he stayed with us. 0:03:26.120 --> 0:03:29.800 So it's a very interesting story because we didn't we 0:03:29.800 --> 0:03:32.600 were not raised by our mother's So my dad, I'm 0:03:32.600 --> 0:03:35.680 not sure about his life the way it was raised. 0:03:35.680 --> 0:03:37.960 I think he made a decision to raise all his children. 0:03:38.400 --> 0:03:41.520 So we were alwaised by one human being, so we 0:03:41.600 --> 0:03:46.080 all kind of have the same mindset. And so growing 0:03:46.200 --> 0:03:49.000 up in cyrill Leon I grew up in the capital 0:03:49.040 --> 0:03:53.880 city of free Town, in a neighborhood called Kissi so, 0:03:54.000 --> 0:03:58.840 but I think from early my dad said, a place 0:03:58.880 --> 0:04:01.440 where even though we grew up very privileged, we still 0:04:01.480 --> 0:04:04.640 grew up in a place where there was poverty. But 0:04:04.680 --> 0:04:07.320 we didn't know it was it was poverty. So even 0:04:07.360 --> 0:04:08.800 though it was protecting us, but we wanted us to 0:04:08.840 --> 0:04:09.839 live in a place. 0:04:09.800 --> 0:04:13.400 And it was sincerely owned, right, yeah, necessarily owned Freetown. 0:04:13.480 --> 0:04:16.839 And you're right because you know there's places that you 0:04:16.880 --> 0:04:19.760 know are normal, and that seemed like quite up and coming, 0:04:19.800 --> 0:04:22.200 but then you take you turn the corners and you 0:04:22.240 --> 0:04:25.320 do experience extreme poverty, extreme proverty. But we didn't know 0:04:25.400 --> 0:04:27.279 that was poverty, but you didn't. But you didn't know 0:04:27.279 --> 0:04:28.000 because that was normal. 0:04:28.240 --> 0:04:31.000 Yes, yeah, And I think he said that scene for us, 0:04:31.040 --> 0:04:33.320 for us to be able to live anywhere around the world, 0:04:33.360 --> 0:04:36.640 which is what we've done. My dad was just one 0:04:36.680 --> 0:04:38.000 of those men that would trow us in the most 0:04:38.040 --> 0:04:39.920 uncomfortable places. So I like being in the place that 0:04:39.960 --> 0:04:44.719 are that we call uncomfortably. So I think growing up 0:04:44.760 --> 0:04:46.720 in that sense, we've heard about the war. It's been 0:04:46.760 --> 0:04:49.880 going on from since nineteen ninety, but it never got 0:04:49.880 --> 0:04:52.880 into the capital city. But we always knew something was coming. 0:04:53.200 --> 0:04:55.720 And what was it? Just a civil unrest? Was yes, 0:04:55.760 --> 0:04:59.440 a civil yes, a sort of government versus well, yes. 0:04:59.320 --> 0:05:02.880 The soldiers and civilians. So it was started from Liberia 0:05:03.040 --> 0:05:05.760 because of the most people would have seen the blood diamond. 0:05:06.480 --> 0:05:09.880 That's interesting from Liberia because people don't realize that that's 0:05:09.880 --> 0:05:10.480 where that's. 0:05:10.320 --> 0:05:12.320 Where, Yeah, that's where, that's where it came from. So 0:05:12.440 --> 0:05:15.040 childs still all of course, and when you're coming from Liberria, 0:05:15.120 --> 0:05:17.760 the places that you meet in from Syrilli is the village, 0:05:17.920 --> 0:05:23.120 so where the diamonds are, So that's connor Bo, yes, 0:05:23.240 --> 0:05:25.839 so of course, So it took longer. It took about 0:05:26.360 --> 0:05:28.839 nine years or so for the war to enter the 0:05:28.839 --> 0:05:32.520 capital city, which is what the rebels were aiming for. 0:05:32.720 --> 0:05:35.640 But by then I think we're actually with the rebels. 0:05:35.680 --> 0:05:39.239 What we didn't know so when the war, when they entered, 0:05:39.279 --> 0:05:42.520 it just felt like they came off the cloud. And 0:05:42.600 --> 0:05:45.080 as soon as we hear the sound. I remember it 0:05:45.160 --> 0:05:47.719 was school time and we hear the sound and we 0:05:47.880 --> 0:05:48.400 just knew. 0:05:49.240 --> 0:05:52.960 So for since nineteen ninety, you know it's happening. You 0:05:53.000 --> 0:05:55.640 hear about it, but it's a very distant thing. You 0:05:55.680 --> 0:05:57.240 don't believe that it's really. 0:05:56.960 --> 0:05:59.400 It was not really distant because we saw that part 0:05:59.440 --> 0:06:02.479 of the war or the kind of signature thing that 0:06:02.520 --> 0:06:06.240 was happening. They were amputating long sleeve and sleeve and all. 0:06:06.480 --> 0:06:10.520 So we saw refugees flying from Liberia and from the 0:06:10.720 --> 0:06:14.760 rural area to the city. Yes, and we knew what 0:06:14.800 --> 0:06:17.640 would happen to young girls, So the story was kind 0:06:17.640 --> 0:06:19.960 of very close to our heart, like we knew what 0:06:20.000 --> 0:06:20.480 was happening. 0:06:20.640 --> 0:06:22.359 Did you ever think it would come to Freetown or 0:06:22.360 --> 0:06:24.239 did you think that Freetown was just quite strong? 0:06:24.240 --> 0:06:26.839 I think that's a long time we did. We didn't 0:06:27.120 --> 0:06:30.960 think that it would, but then we did. But that cloud, yes, yeah, 0:06:31.000 --> 0:06:33.920 and we thought because every time they come a little 0:06:33.920 --> 0:06:36.839 bit closed, that the government to push back. So I 0:06:36.880 --> 0:06:39.120 think they used a different technique this time. So when 0:06:39.160 --> 0:06:42.400 it arrived, they were already in the city for months embedded, 0:06:42.560 --> 0:06:45.080 so it just they just as I said, just like 0:06:45.120 --> 0:06:46.920 from the cloud just falling. As soon as we hear 0:06:47.000 --> 0:06:50.279 the sound, everybody knew, like, yeah. 0:06:50.160 --> 0:06:51.800 Take me back to that day. Did you get up 0:06:51.839 --> 0:06:54.000 to go to school or it was midnight? 0:06:54.040 --> 0:06:56.840 It was around it was midnight, so we're sleeping and 0:06:56.880 --> 0:06:59.240 then we just heard the sound. So by the time 0:06:59.320 --> 0:07:02.080 we looked through the windows, you could see the smoke 0:07:02.160 --> 0:07:03.880 because one of the things they do to they burn 0:07:03.960 --> 0:07:08.080 people in the house, so everything was cloud and like 0:07:08.240 --> 0:07:10.320 smoke all around, so you can see people. Screw you 0:07:10.360 --> 0:07:13.360 can hear people screaming, and our house we had like 0:07:14.040 --> 0:07:16.120 a kind of bullet to prove a tinted window. As 0:07:16.120 --> 0:07:18.200 I said, my dad was a businessman, so we had 0:07:18.200 --> 0:07:21.880 this protection so we could see people from the inside, 0:07:21.880 --> 0:07:25.040 but they could not see us, got you. 0:07:25.280 --> 0:07:27.160 Yeah, anyone that you could see what was going on, 0:07:27.240 --> 0:07:29.480 what they couldn't see what was going Yeah, And. 0:07:29.440 --> 0:07:31.920 It was one of those scene where you cannot stop 0:07:32.080 --> 0:07:37.160 watching because you can see what is being done to people. 0:07:38.080 --> 0:07:41.600 And my dad just quietly closed all the windows and 0:07:43.520 --> 0:07:47.680 just quiet hold at this stage eighteen. 0:07:48.200 --> 0:07:50.840 Yes, so you're you're you intrigue, you want to know 0:07:50.920 --> 0:07:53.440 what's going on, you know you and again you're scared, right, 0:07:53.440 --> 0:07:56.840 You're hearing scared, You're hearing the screams, you're seeing the smoke. Yeah, 0:07:56.880 --> 0:07:58.480 I suppose you want to you want to check it 0:07:58.480 --> 0:07:59.680 out because you want to know if it's going to 0:07:59.720 --> 0:08:01.080 reach you door. Yes. 0:08:01.120 --> 0:08:04.280 Well, also people anybody that have gone through war, you're 0:08:04.400 --> 0:08:08.160 you're you're past the world scared because you know you're 0:08:08.200 --> 0:08:10.520 in it. So I will not even think of the 0:08:10.520 --> 0:08:13.160 word scared. You're in it, so you don't feel what 0:08:13.200 --> 0:08:16.000 am I going to do? So my dad closing the door. 0:08:17.000 --> 0:08:18.520 It was a way of saying, we're all going to 0:08:18.520 --> 0:08:20.560 be killed here. He didn't want us running around like 0:08:20.640 --> 0:08:23.920 everybody was running because it was chaos, like what people 0:08:23.960 --> 0:08:29.760 experience during war, people abandoning their children, wars. It's very 0:08:29.840 --> 0:08:33.000 vicious than what we see on television. You leave, you 0:08:33.080 --> 0:08:39.520 leave your children, you leave places, you jump on someone destruction. Yes, 0:08:40.640 --> 0:08:43.880 and your mind is our minds thinking surviving, and so 0:08:44.000 --> 0:08:46.320 whatever Dad, you need to do, you just do. You 0:08:46.320 --> 0:08:48.920 don't have time to think. So my dad just closed 0:08:48.920 --> 0:08:51.200 the door. And we grew up very disciplined, so we listen, 0:08:51.320 --> 0:08:55.840 of course, and just stay in and then keep going. 0:08:55.840 --> 0:08:58.920 But it was really strange because our house is massive. 0:08:59.080 --> 0:09:01.200 It's big, the biggest house around the area, and was 0:09:01.600 --> 0:09:06.480 bright and yellow and for some reason, after it's been 0:09:06.480 --> 0:09:08.960 closed for long a while, we've been in the house 0:09:09.000 --> 0:09:11.839 for a very long time, and nobody knew it was 0:09:12.080 --> 0:09:14.040 it's really busy. It's one of those things that you 0:09:14.120 --> 0:09:18.599 see probably a movie. We did. We could not understand 0:09:18.720 --> 0:09:21.560 why all the houses are being burned but not ours? 0:09:21.840 --> 0:09:23.120 Why Why do you think that was? 0:09:23.920 --> 0:09:27.040 I think what I put it on. My dad was 0:09:27.040 --> 0:09:30.120 a beautiful man, was a good man. I felt like 0:09:30.320 --> 0:09:32.880 I do believe something was protecting us. I really do, 0:09:33.000 --> 0:09:35.320 because there was no way our house could not have 0:09:35.400 --> 0:09:38.840 been seen. It's very sort of iconic around the area. 0:09:39.000 --> 0:09:42.080 People knew our dad, they knew the life that we lived. 0:09:42.520 --> 0:09:46.160 But it was almost they were passing the whole time. 0:09:46.320 --> 0:09:48.520 And it was bright yellow as well. Yes, it was mellow. 0:09:48.679 --> 0:09:52.520 Yeah, And then a scene happened when a lot of 0:09:52.720 --> 0:09:56.080 people were running, but it all came and knocked at 0:09:56.080 --> 0:09:58.520 our house and my dad for the first time opened 0:09:58.559 --> 0:09:58.840 the door. 0:09:58.880 --> 0:10:01.160 This was a refuge, Yes, sicking the refuge. 0:10:01.480 --> 0:10:05.120 So we end up and it's three stories and split 0:10:05.200 --> 0:10:07.920 it so three stories as it's massive, so we end 0:10:08.000 --> 0:10:11.000 up having over five hundred or even a thousand people 0:10:11.000 --> 0:10:14.040 living in our house. But even for those weeks, still 0:10:14.160 --> 0:10:18.199 the rebels were passing by. It's really busy every time 0:10:18.240 --> 0:10:20.240 I talk about it because it almost feel like those 0:10:20.720 --> 0:10:21.720 middle hobe. 0:10:21.760 --> 0:10:24.440 So they take over the over freeze, but they're just bypassed. 0:10:24.480 --> 0:10:26.880 It just passed the house and it was quiet. It 0:10:27.000 --> 0:10:31.280 was just simply quiet, and there was a lot of 0:10:31.280 --> 0:10:33.960 food because what my dad would do most of the 0:10:34.000 --> 0:10:36.080 way we grew up, we buy a lot of rice. 0:10:36.120 --> 0:10:38.880 We have a storage of right so that's how we 0:10:38.920 --> 0:10:42.080 lived our life. Storage of everything, so they were food 0:10:42.760 --> 0:10:47.120 for people to eat. And then it just came around 0:10:47.160 --> 0:10:50.840 the time when the government was really pushing and then 0:10:50.880 --> 0:10:53.720 we heard one of the rebels just said who has 0:10:53.760 --> 0:10:55.640 this house? Who is in this house? And then we 0:10:55.720 --> 0:10:56.559 knew straight away. 0:10:56.679 --> 0:10:58.319 So did you start to feel safe? Did you start 0:10:58.360 --> 0:11:00.400 to feeling like, no one's gonna knock on our door, 0:11:00.480 --> 0:11:02.560 We've we've been given a pass or such. 0:11:02.880 --> 0:11:04.600 I think we grew up in the Tennessee that our 0:11:04.679 --> 0:11:06.800 dad was almost god. Yeah, of course, so he made 0:11:06.880 --> 0:11:09.600 us feel that way, so there was no fear. But 0:11:09.679 --> 0:11:12.760 we saw we were still looking what was being done outside. 0:11:13.280 --> 0:11:14.720 We're not allowed to look at the window, but we 0:11:14.720 --> 0:11:16.959 were still looking because he was downstairs. I was in 0:11:17.040 --> 0:11:21.920 the middle floor. But we were seeing things that were happening. 0:11:22.200 --> 0:11:23.680 And what type of things would you see? 0:11:23.840 --> 0:11:28.080 Well, really the amputation they acting people long slaving, short 0:11:28.120 --> 0:11:30.439 sleeve people being burned, and the long. 0:11:30.280 --> 0:11:33.080 Sleeping short slaves is explained it The short sleeve is 0:11:33.120 --> 0:11:35.319 above the elbow and long sleeve islow. 0:11:35.679 --> 0:11:39.560 Yeah, so you get to choose. Yeah, we're seeing women 0:11:39.880 --> 0:11:43.920 were pregnant and being asked, do you think you're having 0:11:43.960 --> 0:11:48.839 a boy or girl and then they were split. So 0:11:49.360 --> 0:11:52.360 we saw, Yeah, they. 0:11:51.720 --> 0:11:54.959 Were playing these huge mind games, mind games. 0:11:54.720 --> 0:11:56.959 Because they were rebels who were their kids. There were 0:11:57.000 --> 0:12:00.400 young shoulders through so it was their mind has been 0:12:00.640 --> 0:12:02.160 with drugs. 0:12:01.440 --> 0:12:06.240 Yeah, they've been drugged that they've been inductrinated, brainwashed years 0:12:06.320 --> 0:12:08.079 and they've been with alcohol drugs. 0:12:08.160 --> 0:12:10.880 Yes, and most of these boys have been they've been 0:12:10.920 --> 0:12:12.439 trained to kill even their own parents. 0:12:12.480 --> 0:12:14.079 Yes, they've been given the power too. 0:12:14.280 --> 0:12:16.480 So they were the most one. You should be scared 0:12:16.520 --> 0:12:18.599 of the younger ones that they're older. 0:12:18.520 --> 0:12:20.760 Yeah, because unstable. 0:12:20.880 --> 0:12:24.839 Yeah. So when when we heard that voice, it's almost 0:12:24.880 --> 0:12:26.880 that annoying that Okay, we're going to be out and 0:12:26.880 --> 0:12:29.200 we're going to be killed. So it's you come. I 0:12:29.200 --> 0:12:30.680 think in life, you come to a place where you 0:12:30.720 --> 0:12:35.160 make peace with where your your life is. Yes, and 0:12:35.200 --> 0:12:38.200 I think that way of knowing. And we're calling everyone. 0:12:38.280 --> 0:12:40.559 Next to our house, there was a there was a 0:12:40.679 --> 0:12:44.800 land that was open and everybody came out and my dad, 0:12:44.800 --> 0:12:46.760 I was only my dad's hand. We jump over the 0:12:46.800 --> 0:12:47.520 fence and then we. 0:12:48.480 --> 0:12:49.719 So take me back. So you get a knock on 0:12:49.800 --> 0:12:50.480 the doors, it was. 0:12:50.440 --> 0:12:52.079 Just that noise. Who is in the south and then 0:12:52.160 --> 0:12:54.000 a few of them start acting, so it was one 0:12:54.040 --> 0:12:57.240 person out of curiousity is one of the rebels start acting, 0:12:57.360 --> 0:12:59.079 and then the others start acting. And now they got 0:12:59.120 --> 0:13:02.079 really cute's like almost like there's a house here. 0:13:02.280 --> 0:13:04.120 That hasn't been touched. 0:13:04.720 --> 0:13:07.679 Yeah, And then they asked if you don't open, will 0:13:07.720 --> 0:13:10.520 burn the house. So that's when my dad opened, of course, 0:13:11.080 --> 0:13:13.600 and and they asked us to go to the outside field. 0:13:13.679 --> 0:13:16.800 We went, and then they start burning that they we 0:13:16.840 --> 0:13:20.600 have this brand leather chair. They start burning the chair 0:13:20.960 --> 0:13:23.520 to burn the whole house. And then one of the 0:13:23.520 --> 0:13:27.120 rebels asked who is who owned this house because quite 0:13:27.120 --> 0:13:27.960 a big it's a. 0:13:28.960 --> 0:13:31.040 Yes, it's a beautiful house. 0:13:31.640 --> 0:13:35.720 And they told politics politicians so and then somebody said 0:13:36.480 --> 0:13:38.880 mister Conte. Yeah, yeah, they call him pa content, so 0:13:38.920 --> 0:13:40.680 they know a lot of people know his name. And 0:13:40.720 --> 0:13:43.760 then somebody was giving description of who he is. And 0:13:43.800 --> 0:13:46.520 then one of the rebels said, I know him. He 0:13:46.679 --> 0:13:48.920 is the man that has started to build a hotel 0:13:49.160 --> 0:13:53.800 and gave it off to refugee to stay there. So 0:13:54.040 --> 0:13:55.959 my dad used to build it was building a hotel 0:13:56.720 --> 0:14:01.079 that he stopped building. Refugee stay there through and then 0:14:01.120 --> 0:14:04.640 they spoke for his character. Yeah, and did the rebel 0:14:04.720 --> 0:14:08.000 like that? They yeah, they stopped burning the chair. They 0:14:08.080 --> 0:14:12.440 put the chair off. Wow. Yeah. And we went to 0:14:12.480 --> 0:14:14.480 the field and my dad had parkinson. I didn't know 0:14:14.480 --> 0:14:17.400 what Pakistan was, so he said was shaking. And then 0:14:17.440 --> 0:14:22.400 I was holding his hands and and I locked eye 0:14:22.440 --> 0:14:25.480 with one of the rebels, and I knew straight away 0:14:25.600 --> 0:14:27.040 was coming for me. Oh wow. 0:14:27.080 --> 0:14:30.440 So yeah, they're in the field. You got your your 0:14:30.480 --> 0:14:31.880 hand in the hand with your father. 0:14:32.040 --> 0:14:33.680 So we're all standing in the field. So everybody has 0:14:33.680 --> 0:14:36.040 come out. It's like a thousands, like a lot of people. 0:14:36.200 --> 0:14:38.480 And we they go down the line, don't they Yeah. 0:14:38.320 --> 0:14:40.400 Well, all my hands. We know they were going to 0:14:40.440 --> 0:14:43.480 pick your girls. So I knew. 0:14:43.480 --> 0:14:46.120 I was why did you Why were they picking young girls? 0:14:46.160 --> 0:14:49.080 They choose young girls and mostly virgin to be used 0:14:49.080 --> 0:14:51.880 as a sex slave. And I see human shield mostly 0:14:51.960 --> 0:14:53.720 that's they tend for them to pick. It's kind of 0:14:53.760 --> 0:14:56.320 like a spirit as superstitious that they will win the war. 0:14:58.160 --> 0:15:01.840 So well us holding my dad hand, we thought they 0:15:01.840 --> 0:15:03.800 were going to burn all of us or should or 0:15:04.200 --> 0:15:06.000 because we have them do we have the rebels right 0:15:06.040 --> 0:15:08.720 in front of us. So I was just standing there 0:15:08.840 --> 0:15:12.720 and just ready to go with him. But as soon 0:15:12.760 --> 0:15:15.760 as one of the rebels looked at me, I knew. 0:15:16.080 --> 0:15:20.680 I just knew it was this possession of Luke. And 0:15:20.840 --> 0:15:23.680 when he as soon as he altered the word you come, 0:15:24.360 --> 0:15:26.440 he looked at me, you come here. I let go 0:15:26.480 --> 0:15:28.920 of my dad's hand. 0:15:29.840 --> 0:15:31.480 Why did you let go of your dad's hand to 0:15:31.520 --> 0:15:32.160 protect him? 0:15:32.720 --> 0:15:34.120 Yes, it was the first time I knew how to 0:15:34.120 --> 0:15:39.960 protect someone. And once I let go, I did not 0:15:40.080 --> 0:15:44.680 look at his face. Now because I knew everybody that 0:15:44.800 --> 0:15:47.480 knows my dad knows my dad about his children, So 0:15:49.160 --> 0:15:53.880 I just walk away, did not have a look at 0:15:53.880 --> 0:15:54.360 his face. 0:15:54.960 --> 0:15:56.360 And that's your protection. 0:15:56.880 --> 0:16:00.760 Luckily, the guy that took me walk away because he 0:16:00.840 --> 0:16:03.040 had had four guilts or the girls that were standing 0:16:03.160 --> 0:16:05.960 waiting for him, so he had four guilts that he 0:16:06.000 --> 0:16:09.280 had kidnapped. So I joined that group and any walk 0:16:09.320 --> 0:16:14.760 away with me, and you don't look back. No, I 0:16:14.800 --> 0:16:20.080 never looked back. I still try to picture even now 0:16:20.120 --> 0:16:21.920 most of the time when I share my story, to 0:16:21.960 --> 0:16:31.520 see what position he would have been. And and yeah, 0:16:31.560 --> 0:16:34.640 way he didn't move. I think he was just stuck or. 0:16:36.440 --> 0:16:41.880 Yeah, yeah, well maybe as a as a father, maybe 0:16:41.920 --> 0:16:43.680 he knew that if you, he would have probably got 0:16:43.720 --> 0:16:47.040 himself killed, you killed, and all of his children killed. Yeah, 0:16:47.080 --> 0:16:50.560 and it's a decision that you you made right not 0:16:50.720 --> 0:16:54.240 to because any normal child, you think, would have just 0:16:54.320 --> 0:16:57.320 held on tighter. Yeah, right, because but you made a 0:16:57.360 --> 0:16:59.800 decision to text your family, and he probably done the 0:16:59.840 --> 0:17:03.880 same him to protect you, because like you said, the 0:17:03.920 --> 0:17:06.920 rebels were so unstable that if you look, probably shut 0:17:06.960 --> 0:17:07.440 you down. 0:17:07.960 --> 0:17:10.040 Mostly were asked the daughter to shoot or the rap 0:17:10.160 --> 0:17:12.720 the daughter in front of the father. So that was 0:17:12.720 --> 0:17:15.080 one of the reason too. So there was a lot 0:17:15.080 --> 0:17:17.400 of scenario that I knew of because of the history 0:17:17.480 --> 0:17:20.359 of the war. So I knew that if he fought, 0:17:21.000 --> 0:17:23.800 they would either asked me to shoot him, or shoot 0:17:23.880 --> 0:17:26.400 him or rape me in front of him. So there 0:17:26.440 --> 0:17:29.000 was a lot of things that would have happened. So 0:17:29.160 --> 0:17:32.800 and I felt like even not standing, not keeping me 0:17:32.880 --> 0:17:34.720 there to look because I would have turned or look 0:17:34.800 --> 0:17:37.600 at his face, that was a protection there too. That 0:17:37.760 --> 0:17:40.800 was guide me through that he took me and walk 0:17:40.880 --> 0:17:41.480 away with me. 0:17:50.400 --> 0:17:51.840 What happens next, I. 0:17:51.760 --> 0:17:55.240 Still don't remember how long I was kidnapped for. We 0:17:55.520 --> 0:17:58.040 start walking up the hills because you know civilian high 0:17:58.119 --> 0:18:00.360 it's called lion mounting because of the hills to start 0:18:00.400 --> 0:18:03.280 walking off. And again it's the acceptance this is it, 0:18:03.520 --> 0:18:05.440 this is live. Because there were bombs going on, there 0:18:05.440 --> 0:18:07.200 were a lot of things going on. It was very 0:18:07.240 --> 0:18:11.920 intense time because the government was really pushing back. So 0:18:12.320 --> 0:18:15.800 and mostly what the rebels would we take civilians and 0:18:15.840 --> 0:18:20.240 put them even give us, give guns, so the government thinks. 0:18:19.960 --> 0:18:23.680 That you are by seeing your weapon, I think you're yeah. 0:18:23.760 --> 0:18:27.000 So it was all surviving. We had to go up 0:18:27.040 --> 0:18:28.800 the bush and we have to change our clothes to 0:18:28.960 --> 0:18:32.639 camouflage with the green. The green where so if you 0:18:32.680 --> 0:18:34.960 wear something white or something bright will shoot you. So 0:18:35.000 --> 0:18:37.239 we have to wear something green or dark. So if 0:18:37.240 --> 0:18:40.280 there's an alicopter then they don't see where we're going. 0:18:40.359 --> 0:18:43.280 So for all those things that you don't grow up with, 0:18:43.480 --> 0:18:48.000 you just instantly lean to do wow. And because there's 0:18:48.040 --> 0:18:51.520 dead body next to you, there's somebody just fall being shot, 0:18:52.440 --> 0:18:54.240 so you don't you don't have a second to think. 0:18:54.280 --> 0:18:55.600 You have a time to think. 0:18:56.160 --> 0:18:58.320 So you've been ripped away from your family, How you've 0:18:58.320 --> 0:19:02.640 been ripped ripped away from your your your dad? What's 0:19:02.680 --> 0:19:06.840 going through your mind? Is it? Obviously the first bit 0:19:06.960 --> 0:19:09.480 was protection, Just get me out of here. So, yeah, 0:19:09.520 --> 0:19:11.879 you're taking attention away from your dad really and your 0:19:11.880 --> 0:19:15.480 family when you're walking up what how does your life 0:19:15.600 --> 0:19:17.760 flip on its head all of a sudden the realization 0:19:17.880 --> 0:19:20.320 of you know where you where you're sleeping, where you're living, 0:19:20.400 --> 0:19:21.800 just put put it in put it in our heads, 0:19:21.800 --> 0:19:22.480 where where you were. 0:19:22.920 --> 0:19:25.119 The first time that we took so the girls that 0:19:26.359 --> 0:19:28.600 it was really engraved with the girls that he had kidnapped. 0:19:28.600 --> 0:19:31.000 These are girls that I knew from school, but we're 0:19:31.040 --> 0:19:36.359 not friends, so and we we didn't start moving right away. 0:19:36.400 --> 0:19:38.640 We had to settle in our house up the hill. 0:19:40.160 --> 0:19:44.000 That night is when he started, like the rebel that 0:19:44.119 --> 0:19:48.480 kidnapped me, Darahmi that was his name, start calling each 0:19:48.520 --> 0:19:52.280 girl in the room and and sort of rapping each 0:19:52.320 --> 0:19:54.160 girl as he called them in. 0:19:54.119 --> 0:19:55.320 The room, including yourself. 0:19:55.680 --> 0:20:01.320 Yes, so, and I know for sure most the girls 0:20:02.920 --> 0:20:04.680 I could hear the voice, so you just know when 0:20:04.760 --> 0:20:11.440 it's your turn. So so I was brutally my first 0:20:11.480 --> 0:20:15.240 experience was between five or six men, because after you 0:20:15.359 --> 0:20:19.399 call some of his crew and then just woke up 0:20:19.440 --> 0:20:24.400 being fainted, and then you then you as soon as 0:20:24.400 --> 0:20:26.919 that finish, you start running again, so you don't have 0:20:27.000 --> 0:20:28.720 time to think, you start. So as soon as that 0:20:28.840 --> 0:20:31.960 same finished, he knew straight away. So that's when his 0:20:32.119 --> 0:20:35.760 pos his obsession became because then I hadn't been was 0:20:35.760 --> 0:20:38.879 my first experience, So he became really possive. He didn't 0:20:38.880 --> 0:20:42.640 want the others anymore, so he became really really possive. 0:20:42.680 --> 0:20:47.480 But what was also interesting, my brother Ali, who was 0:20:47.560 --> 0:20:52.320 very protective of me, saw that Darami had took me. 0:20:52.400 --> 0:20:58.200