Emmanuel Jal was seven-years-old when Sudan's bloody Civil war turned him into a child soldier.

After escaping the frontline into Kenya, Emmanuel began putting his past behind him. He is now an author and musician who has won worldwide acclaim for his unique style of hip hop with its message of peace and reconciliation.

Reporter Martin Kornacki spoke to him as his book Warchild, which documents his life as a child soldier, was launched last Thursday in Merton as part of Wimbledon Bookfest.

Do you feel lucky to be alive?

I feel responsible, sometimes when you survive a situation like that you feel guilty and ask yourself, why did I survive? I feel I must have survived for a reason. I am currently eating just one meal a day until I can build a school for the kids back home in Sudan through my charity Gua Africa. My lunch and dinner money is being saved for bricks.

What drives you?

The knowledge I have, and the difference I can make, myself drives me.

How do you think your life story can apply to teenagers in Merton?

If you look at the response people have to a story it doesn't matter where they come from or where the story is from, a story from any person can touch everyone. Nothing moves people like a story. The kids here have heard my story and they understand where I have come from.

You had a brutal childhood, what do you think the causes of youth violence are?

We have to know the roots of why violent crime is there. Many of these kids are poor and raised by single parents, so who is left to raise them? Hip hop and violent movies. These kids are raised like war children. If they read my book and learn about my struggle that could help them.

A lot of rap music talks about London streets being like a war zone and young people as soldiers, do you think some young people are being naive?

There is war in the streets. They rob people, there are drugs, they kill people – that is war. But now the problem is we have to define war. Someone who is robbing and killing in the street, they will testify that it is fun to other people, but it is not fun it is hard. The kids who are poor and involved in this war on the streets are actually being manipulated by gangsters and drug dealers – they are war children.

How do you view music artists that glamorise violent lifestyles?

I would tell them you are responsible, you are responsible for raising a genocidal generation. A generation that does not care about life, does not understand the importance of life. Many kids want to drop out of school, when they should be hungry for education. The rappers, the media, the Government and parents need to be responsible. It needs everybody because this is serious.

Do you think children need to be taught right from wrong?

Children need a guiding hand in life. When you see more evil, you'll do a lot of evil When you see more good, your character, your lifestyle will change for the better. A kid who grew up in violence would not know what love is, so when they step on your toe they will not know how to say sorry, because where they come from people step on your toe and they punch you in your face.

Do you feel you are becoming a spokesperson for your country?

I am not so much a spokesperson for Sudan. I would say I am speaking for those who can't speak for themselves. My story isn't just about Sudan, a child's struggle is for everyone.

Your life has been full of tragedy, how do you remain positive?

I use faith to give me hope to see me through tomorrow. Knowing someone is watching over you helps you to be patient and for me music is the painkiller.

Did you find writing the book was cathartic?

Writing the book was painful, I found it hard every morning to get up and write the book with Megan Lloyd Davies. I used to go and tell the story and she would write it. It was awful, I even went through a stage of hating the writer, but she did a good job. And then once the book was finished things became light again and I had an album called Warchild come out and a documentary of the same name about my life come out. I guess this brought some things to a conclusion.

Are you still angry at what happened to you in Sudan?

If you are in a war zone for more then six months you lose your mind, you see so many dead bodies, people with arms hanging off, people shot in their eyes, people screaming – you see dead people all the time. I'm not angry – but if you have been in a place like that you do not come out normal.

For more info visit www.gua-africa.org or www.emmanueljal.org