Embassy Newscentre

Embassy News

Panelists from left to right: M. Kouassi Ba,  Kahoubi Samuel, Touré Mamadou and  PAO Sharon White  (Photo: Haba Pepe/US Embassy)

Book of the month of June – ‘A Long Way Gone: memoirs of a Child Soldier’

To mark the International Day of the African Child, post organized a conference based on the NH book ‘A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Child Soldier’ a testimony written by Ismael Beah about his experiences as a former child soldier in Sierra Leone.  The conference took place in Korhogo, the main town in the north of Cote d'Ivoire, which was controlled by rebels during the political and military crisis in Cote d’Ivoire.  Members of the audience told us there were former child soldiers in the area schools, some of whom were among the 500 students, teachers, civic leaders and officials who attended the program. 

After welcoming remarks delivered by the representative of the Prefect Mr. Famy, PAO Sharon White introduced the book and encouraged the audience, especially the students, to participate in the discussion.  Panelists Toure Mamadou, a secondary school teacher, and Kouassi Ba, from the International NGO Save the Children, summarized the book and highlighted the consequences of civil war, drug addiction and violence on child soldiers. During the discussion, concern focused on the lack of protection for children during the civil war, and a general lack of information on and education about children’s rights. Participants also denounced and regretted the slowness of the demobilization and reintegration process in Cote d’Ivoire’s war zones.

Pongathié Abraham, Regional Director for the Ministry of Education, was optimistic about the future of child soldiers in Cote d’Ivoire following the peace agreement.  He said the government was able to take the guns away from the child soldiers and put most of them back into school. He praised the book program for coming to the right place to give hope by sharing information and engaging the community in the Korhogo region.

Post presented 500 copies of articles on child soldiers from the America.gov website, copies of the IIP publication ‘World Youth Building a Future’ and 20 copies of the NH book A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Child Soldier.