Nyaruach on Facebook
A sister of an internationally acclaimed hip hop artist, Emmanuel Jal, Nyaruach was born around 1983 in Southern Sudan, at the time of the civil war. She lost her mother and was separated from the rest of her immediate family, including Jal, at the age of 4. As years went on, the war intensified, and the orphaned girl was forced to run around with her relatives. She witnessed her family members killed, houses burned and was raped by government off cials. Her brother meanwhile was recruited as a child soldier.
There was little hope in her life until she reunited with Jal in 2004 in Nairobi. The two recorded a song together called Gua, which stands for “peace” in their native Nuer tongue. The track was broadcast by BBC across Africa and became a No. 1 hit in Kenya in 2005. It was also Jal’s breakthrough to the international market, earning him a spot on Bob Geldof’s “Live 8″ concert in the UK.
Nyaruach kept her past to herself for a long time, but in 2008 she stepped over her personal pain and revealed her shocking story in War Child, an award winning documentary on Emmanuel Jal’s life.
Through her story Nyaruach wanted to emphasize the importance of educating girls in particular and children overall. She believes that the future of her native Sudan and Africa as a whole can be enhanced by education. She believes education is the only way to a free Africa. She joined the campaign to help her brother build a school in Southern Sudan. She made a commitment to stop eating breakfast until the money for the school was raised. This took 2 years, and 2 schools now have been refurbished in South Sudan.
Nyaruach said being in the studio and recording music became the happiest time in her life. She has a single out called Gatluak which is available on iTunes.
In 2013, Nyaruach traveled to Aswan, Egypt to take part in The Nile Project; a 2 week workshop and residency to represent South Sudan among some of the best musicians from across the Nile region. The residency accumulated in a large concert held in Cairo on January 31st.