Witness Book Package by Panta Pride

WITNESS WHAT INNOCENT EYES HAVE SEEN, NO LIPS HAVE UTTERED

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WITNESS gives insight into the personal story from a child’s perspective of a horrific experience. It takes you through the journey of a child, Quanuquanei A. Karmue, better known as “Q”, growing up in a country suddenly caught in the throes of a civil war. Q transports you to this country—beside him in his journey— as he tells his compelling story. WITNESS is a vivid, gut-wrenching expression of not only the ugliness of war, but also the beauty of the aftermath. From the eyes of this child, the beauty is a metamorphosis from one family’s effort to rebuild their country through influencing and impacting the lives of children.

WITNESS is a personal documentary of the devastating effects war has on children. Needs often taken for granted such as food, shelter, and safety were stripped away from thousands of people including Q and his family during their escape from war ravaged Liberia. The Karmue family unexpectedly became victims of the demoralizing effects of war. This book goes beyond a personal journey and accounts of traumatic events endured by Q and his family by showcasing Qâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to draw the reader into visualizing his journey. His use of powerful images, exemplifies how a traumatizing situation was turned into a blessing of hope. WITNESS embodies the very essence of growth and humanity through struggle and pain. WITNESS is a testimony of one who survived the war as an innocent child and later returned to Liberia in the aftermath as an advocate for those children who did not have the opportunity to escape. This ordeal gave Q a feeling of deep conviction that the world needed to understand and hear the plight of the children he encountered in Liberia. The book also identifies areas where the nation, Liberia, still struggles to rebuild and strategically exposes the dreadful plight children face in other war-torn countries. In reading this book, there is a realization that an entire country can be destroyed in one day, but take decades to rebuild and heal. WITNESS is a gripping, thought provoking book which highlights that the deepest hardships of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s past can be turned into a bright, thriving future.

WITNESS A CIVIL WAR EXPERIENCE FROM A CHILD’S PERSPECTIVE

Quanuquanei A. Karmue

SIGNIFICANCE OF Witness Growing up in a country that is caught in the midst of a brutal civil war takes a heavy toll on a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mind, especially that of a child. The book, WITNESS, is significant because it provides a voice for the children and those who died unnecessarily during the war in Liberia. This is my WITNESS along with the testimony of others during the war. This book showcases my personal experiences and gives a statement of the horrid effects of war on children. Sometimes it is through the pain and suffering of others that one may find meaning and direction for their soul. It is my hope that this books will touch the spirit of its readers in that they realize how fortunate they are to live in Western society. WITNESS, gives insight into the lives of children from the other side of the spectrum. It is based on the lives of children and young people who are the lost and forgotten casualties of humanity, whom before the book WITNESS, the world likely would not have fathomed, understood or been aware of their tragedy. Inspired by real events in my homeland of Liberia, WITNESS would be an effective addition to a high school or college English, History, or Global Issues curriculum, especially supplemented with resources from organizations such as Human Rights Watch and the Office of the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General for Children in Armed Conflict. My intention and hope is that the WITNESS will provide a powerful insight into the detrimental effects of war on children and society, and in the hopes that it will create a sympathetic spirit to help others. The book would have three important messages for Western educators. First, it is a worldwide call for attention to child warriors and children used in civil conflicts, trapped in senseless wars. Children like Q, who were caught in the internal power struggles of politics, now live with fear for their future in modern society.

Analysis of competitive titles: Witness can be compared to Eli Wiesel’s, NIGHT, in that they both address the agony and the horrific conditions the writers find themselves. Stuck in a society threatened by brutality and senseless murder, WITNESS, like NIGHT, is an autobiographical account of the holocaust and destruction brought on by war. Like NIGHT, WITNESS gives one a deeper and more personal understanding of the war experience from a child’s perspective with the purpose of inspiring its reader to genuinely stand up against the use of children in all war. WITNESS is also comparable to William Styron’s SOPHIE’S CHOICE in that a mother caught in the savagery of war is placed in a position where she has to choose between her life and those of her children.

ASSAULT OF THE PAST, BENJAMIN, JAN 2008

SECTION ONE

THE PAST

Exerpt from the book, Witness Chapter 1: The Past

Chapter 1: The Past

THIS WAS TO BE OUR FIRST EXPERIENCE OF THE LIBERIAN CIVIL WAR ON JULY 26, 1990.

The first time we tried to escape the war, we had a rude awakening. Things would be harder than we thought, survival not a given. We were caught in the midst of it all at an intersection on Dupot Road in Monrovia, Liberia. Here, violence between rebel soldiers and government soldiers erupted, and we were greeted with the sound of gunshots as we approached the intersection. Many people were shot and killed by stray bullets. Families were torn apart, their members scattered like paper in the winds as they ran in different directions during the chaos of the gunfire. Amidst the fear and confusion, my mother, my four siblings and I, determined to live, ran for our lives! My mother, with my two year old little brother, Fungbeh Jr., tied tightly on her back with a kente cloth, managed to keep us all together as she directed us through the madness that was taking place. As we were dodging bullets by running low and covering our heads, others were not as fortunate and many were shot and fell in the path ahead of us. Attempting to jump over them, I tripped and fell. I saw my mother and my siblings running on without me. I lay there for a moment, afraid, hopelessly thinking to myself, â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is my time to die, I am finished!â&#x20AC;? I started to Panic, like a rabbit being hunted by wild dogs. My heart begun to pound as fear ran through me like a child with Malaria chills. Without anyone to assist me, I watched people running past me, in panicking for their own lives. My legs felt heavy as I got to my feet and continued on despite paralyzing feelings of fear and confusion threatening to still my move8

ments. Hopelessness was setting in and I wanted to give up. Bullets flew past me constantly, just missing my ears. All around me there were sparks of blinding light caused by bullets ricocheting off the surroundings. As I was entertaining the thought of just giving up and laying down on the ground, I felt a strong hand grip the back of my shirt, elevating me to my knees and then dragging me for about one hundred yards. My knees scrapped the pavement of the road, causing them to bleed. I then heard a familiar voice, screaming, “Quanei! Come on! Come on! Let’s run! Boy, don’t give up! We must go, I got you! I will never leave you behind!” I realized it was the voice of my mother who had grown wings like an eagle and strength like a lion! So powerful was her love for me that she did not care or think about how she could have gotten shot coming back to get me! She was not going to let me die! Her love and bravery had saved my life.

AN ARTISTIC JOURNEY INTO THE PAST

s a young Liberian, life for me has been like an emotional, physically exhausting roller coaster ride. In order to fully absorb the effect of that ride, my mind is forced to communicate with my body, guiding it to adjust to the turns and twists of life, all the while holding on tightly. Looking back, it was not so long ago, that I had no idea where life would take me. During the civil war that ravaged my beautiful country about twenty-years ago, I regularly dodged bullets and sought out safety in dark places while trying to get my hands and mouth on anything that would satisfy my growling stomach. I owe everything to the almighty God for giving me the ability to navigate and adapt to the twists and turns life has presented me. After living in multiple countries (mostly due to running away from the turmoil and violence in my own), I was forced to continuously adapt to different cultures. Decisions forced upon me by the circumstances of war, afforded me very little in the way of childhood. 9

So, you can imagine my surprise when, at the beginning of a new life in the United States in 1993, I discovered my artistic abilities. I soon fully embraced them and sought to make them a permanent part of me. My life has been filled with many colors, shapes, smells, and visions that led me along the path that has brought forth the journey you are about to experience. I have been a Witness to many things that shaped and molded my vision as an artist. In order for you to understand my passion, and to understand my determination and zest for life, you must take a walk in my shoes. Here is a glimpse of my story, my life, my inspiration and how I came about my Journey as an artist. At the age of eight in Liberia, I found my world as I knew it changing for the worst. Basic privileges I took for granted, like food, safety, and clean water, were no longer guaranteed. Social structures were collapsing, and suddenly my beautiful country was caught up in the middle of a brutal civil war. Due to this war, my childhood as I knew it was over. With my father in the United States on business and unable to return due to the complications of the war, we were fatherless for the next 3 years. When we heard rumors of the war, we left our home in Gbarnga (pronounced - barnga), and headed for Monrovia, the capital city. My mother, my four siblings and I were forced to run for safety. We were living in constant fear and danger, hiding out in the woods and running away from rebels and child soldiers my own age. These parentless children held AK-47 machine guns and were forced to fight for the rebels or be killed. We found ourselves trapped and living out the terrifying brutality of war in our own country of Liberia. My mother, who is my greatest inspiration, had to provide for and protect all five of us in the midst of chaos and destruction. At the time, our ages ranged from three to twelve years old. With the rebel forces slaughtering women and children, and the corruption and brutality of the governing army, the only way to escape them was to

trudge for miles through remote areas of the country that had yet to be touched by the war. We walked quickly but quietly through miles of fields. We were constantly in a state of fear, but this only fostered our resolve to reach our destination. The lack of vehicles, food and security forced us to attempt to escape the country on foot. Our days were long, and nights were dreaded as we walked miles and miles through fields strewn with bodies in various stages of decay. Men, women and children were piled together. Flies hovered above the bodies in thick black clouds where the stench of dead flesh attracted them. Survival was a matter of timing; nothing more. We were in the grips of a war in which conditions had deteriorated into a state of violent confusion. My young, terrified mind was forced to witness, absorb and process all of this at once. As we approached checkpoints I observed children my age wielding guns, AK-47s almost as big as they were. The rebels gave the guns to these children to threaten, torment and execute people who were old enough to be their grandparents. I was terrified at this scenario and did not quite understand it. I could not wrap my young mind around how anyone could think it was right to influence a child in this way; to give them such a deadly weapon and order them to shoot someone and watch them bleed to death without an ounce of emotion. Flies also hovered at checkpoints, feasting on the remains of human intestines that rebel soldiers stretched across the road as gates for the checkpoints. The tactic of using and displaying human body parts at checkpoints was intimidating, to say the least. Seeing that caused me to feel a lack of value as a human being, and the feeling of despair was overwhelming. I felt no hope for the future. I felt destined to die. “This is senseless war, where all is lost. Nobody will win.” I constantly thought to myself. Each checkpoint we made it through felt like winning a lottery, the prize was our lives. “Could this be our time to die?” was a constant thought. 11

After days of traveling, my four siblings and I had witnessed so many mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and grandparents shot, killed and slaughtered for no reason other than they were to be made an example. Mom held us closely to her chest as we approached one of the checkpoints, never realizing this would be a day none of us would ever forget. A teenage girl, around the age of thirteen, holding an AK47, stared intently as she examined the individuals standing in line at the checkpoint. She approached my mother and asked her tribal origin. My mother explained to the girl she was from the Kphella Tribe. However, the girl decided that despite the fact mother spoke Kphella well, she must be lying about her tribal orgin. The girl did not believe she was truly Kphella due to the open gap between her front teeth. The rebel girl reasoned that Kphella people genetically do not have opened teeth by birth. The girl then commanded Mother to follow her for examination of her story and further interrogation with her commander. She instructed us children to continue on our way without our mother and informed us this would likely be the last time we would ever see Mom alive. Though we had seen much death and witnessed much turmoil and destruction, we were in no way prepared for this emotional hurdle. Mom was our fortress, our rock, our warrior. The thought of being separated from her was the worst thing we could imagine. As she was being led away, guided by the barrel of the AK-47, we were crying bitterly, wailing and pleading for her return. She was pleading and begging the girl for her life, for the opportunity to stay with us, to not separate us. The young girl then threatened my mother, telling her to choose - either we live and she dies, or she lives and we die. What kind of mother would choose to live and watch her children die? As hard as it was for her to separate from us, in her deep love for us, she pleaded for us to leave without her. With the additional help of other rebels, our mother was stripped away from us and forced to choose to face death so that we could continue to live. (Continue on page 15) 12

Many children became victims of the Liberian Civil War when they were forced to watch their parents be tortured and killed. Filled with anger, children did not resist picking up a machine gun especially if left to the mercy of the killer of their own parents. As one former child solder told me in an interview conducted March 25, 2012 in Gbarnga City.

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Rebels burst into our little house as we were hiding out in fear that night. They grabbed my brother, little sister and me away from my mother’s arms. When dad tried to resist and fight back, they put him to his knees and tied him up so hard with a rope that the rope penetrated his flesh. We were forced to watch as they tortured my dad. Meanwhile, two of the teenagers kept my mom in the house and took us outside as they raped mom and all we could hear was the torture and crying coming from within the house. Helplessly standing there in fear and terror, all we could do was watch with an AK-47 in our faces held by children not too much older than us. When the boys were done with mom, they came out of the house pompously boasting about what they had just done. Anger and sorrowful tears streamed down my cheeks as I listened to see if mom was still there. We no longer heard Mom and did not know if she was still alive. I could tell Dad was angry, but what could he do? He was tied so hard that a stream of blood flooded the ground around him. As he cried out in resistance he was still trying to resist and fight back. As Dad resisted more and even as helpless as he looked, one of the rebels boys cursed at him and took out his pistol and shot him in the head. We ran and fell over the helpless body of our father and were filled with anger and shock. I felt like dying too at that moment. There was no reason to live. The rebel leader took my brother who was nine years old and myself and told us we would become part of his army. He had no use for my sister because she was only four years old. We were forced to leave her as we started our new life as child soldiers. I was seven...(Continue on page 53 in WITNESS)

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Quanuquanei: age 8 Please bring mom back. Please don’t take her away from us. Please! I beg you please! I felt so helpless. What power do I have to get my mom back? I cried bitterly, pleading and fighting for my mom. That did not work. They made her choose between my life and her life. She chose for me to live and she would die. But how long could I survive out here. I was terrified! As I stared down the barrel of the AK-47 pointed at me, they threatened to kill me if I fought back. They dragged Mom away from me, she pleaded and begged to please let us stay together and have mercy on her life. The thirteen year old rebel girl finally told Mom, “Old-Ma, you good to go.” This is not good. This means she’s good to die. I helplessly witnessed as they took my mom to the killing fields to be executed. All I could feel was hatred and anger for the world around me. If I could have gotten a gun, I would have fought back...I felt so lonely and hopeless. They refused and determined to kill us if we followed. She choose to die and let us live, but what good was life, if mom was not in it? She was everything to me, my two brothers, and two sisters. I want to run to her and hug her one more time. I felt so helpless. "Mom, please come back! Please! Come back mom!"

I felt like I had heavy stones in my stomach. My feet went cold and I felt a sudden overwhelming sense of loneliness as I Witnessed my mother being dragged away. We began to walk away, sobbing uncontrollably; convinced it was the last time we would ever see our mother. Mom was harassed and tormented before being taken to an execution chamber for further interrogation. Then she was instructed to walk out into an open field where there were already countless dead bodies – this was the killing field where she was to be executed and lie dead amongst other mothers and fathers...

The AUTHOR Quanuquanei A. Karmue, better known to most as “Q” is a native of Liberia, West Africa. In 2006 he graduated with his Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Graphic Design from Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Savannah George. In 2013 he obtained a Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) degree from East Tennessee State University (ETSU) with the completion of his book, WITNESS. When Q was 8 years old one of the most tumultuous times of his life began — a civil war broke out in his homeland, Liberia, West Africa. His family was caught in the midst of the brutal war. However, he and his family were fortunate to flee to the US in 1994 with a second chance to start life over. The opportunity for Q and his family to start their life over marked a new era for them. However, Q ’s witness of the horror in Liberia remained a shadow in his memory, affecting everything he did. His parents became his greatest mentors, teaching him and his siblings how to accept what happened as it could not be changed but also how to lead the bad memories out of their minds when they crept in. For the most part this is how Q started to handle life. He learned not to dwell on the pain and heartache of the depression the war caused, however, the memories he could not forget, even if he tried. They would always be a part of him. Over the years the memories stored have contributed to molding Q into who he has become today and has led him to the realization of how blessed he is, given him a greater desire to help those who are still suffering years after the war ended. It is because of the events of the past and the inspiration of his family in the present, that he has become Q. Karmue — artist and author, devoted husband and father, advocate for children and one who desires to commit his life to helping rebuild Liberia. The completion of WITNESS has given birth to a non-profit organization, Save More Kids (SMK), that Q hopes can be used as a means to help his ambition to propel the rebuilding process. Through SMK, Q’s story does not only rest in a book but he is able to reach many children who have never been given an opportunity for a real chance to thrive.

Save More Kids Our Purpose “Save More Kids” is a non-profit organization created as a means of reaching out and providing assistance to children who have been subject to extreme conditions such as war, sexual abuse, abandonment or child labor. We document the atrocities they’ve faced and with your help, provide them with an opportunity — a realistic chance to change the course of their future. We believe that the “cornerstone” for a peaceful interaction between nations is a strong foundation. The children of the world are just that cornerstone! We strive to reach children before they are unduly influenced by their less-than-favorable surroundings. We believe strongly in the proverb, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it.” Save More Kids hopes to serve as a guiding light to show children that their futures can be both meaningful and productive. Our Process We identify and partner with non-governmental organizations (NGO), orphanage homes and other children-based foundations whose aims and missions are in alignment with those of Save More Kids.

Every day disastrous events occur that have the potential to forever shortcircuit the growth and future of children exposed to them. Many times mainstream media fail to report on the ways in which children are adversely affected by such catastrophic events. We work tirelessly to shed light on situations such as these so as to alleviate the possibility of these children being left homeless and without positive direction. We believe that everyone has an inherent desire to help his fellow man. However, the first step in facilitating such a desire is to make the general public aware, hence, through this delivery of WITNESS it is our hope that it encourages you to become involved. Our Vision Plainly stated, we see Save More Kids as being the reason for change in the lives of children everywhere who, without us, could be facing lives riddled with poor choices and the dire circumstances that will undoubtedly follow them. By documenting their past and present we can hopefully change their futures and redirect their focus towards healthier psychological, educational and spiritual lifestyles. We want to become the bridge that leads children over the waters of adversity to a better life.

Bringing Home The Experience!

WITNESS can also be presented in a gallery “ Even though we currently strive to reach children in Liberia, we have a strong commitment to also influence kids in classrooms across the United States, Europe & Canada. Through other children’s circumstances, many more can be inspired.” ...Q. Karmue (President, SMK)

WITNESS

WHAT INNOCENT EYES HAVE SEEN, NO LIPS HAVE UTTERED

Quanuquanei A. Karmue (“Q”) is the author of WITNESS and the artist who created the artwork associated with the book. Over the last five years Q has documented and captured over ten thousand images for WITNESS and documented over one hundred hours of video. All photographs and footage have been recorded by the author. All ideas and designs within this package are also created and inspired by Q. Currently in need of an excellent agent/publicist/ publisher who is interested in partnering, Q desires to make his work known to the world. Based on your witness of this package, if you are interested in working with Q or finding out more information, please contact: INFO@WITNESSSERIES.ORG | Q@SAVEMOREKIDS.ORG | 423-788-4456 Thank You For Your Consideration.