In Conversation with Ishmael Beah

Join us for a virtual chat with renowned human rights activist and author Ishmael Beah. Ishmael sheds light on the silencing of artists and creatives around the world, the attack on freedom of speech for social justice activists and the unethical and inequitable coverage stories and human rights violations around the world.

Ishmael Beah is the Sierra Leonean and American author of the novels Little Family, Radiance of Tomorrow, and the memoir A Long Way Gone which was a #1 New York Times and international bestseller and has been published in over forty languages. The Washington post writes “Everyone should read this book…We should read it to learn about the world and about what it means to be human.” His novels, written with the gentle lyricism of a dream and the moral clarity of a fable are powerful stories about preserving what means the most to us, even in uncertain times. The New York Times finds in his writing an "allegorical richness" and a "remarkable humanity to his [Beah’s] characters, a profound and tender portrayal of the connections we forge to survive the fate we’re dealt, marking the further blossoming of a unique global voice.” He is arguably the most read contemporary African author. He is currently completing a sequel of his memoir set to be published in 2025.

He is A UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for children affected by conflict, a practitioner and expert in conflict resolution. In this capacity, he has worked at the international, local, community, personal, with companies, public and private spaces to resolve conflict by bringing adversaries to the table for dialogue through empathetic methods of listening to not only solve conflict but provide sustainable tools to prevent their recurrence. He has worked globally to mitigate conflict and prevent their resumption from villages and communities in Sierra Leone following the civil, Rwanda, Uganda, South Africa, companies in Geneva, Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Colombia, myriad number of universities and the United Nations.

Moderator:

Caleigh Wong is a Masters in Political Science student at McGill University on a McCall MacBain Scholarship (2023). As a former member of the Canadian Armed Forces, her research specializes in military sexual violence, gendered instiutions and organizational culture change. She has worked on a number of defence advisory initiatives, including as a member of the Women Veterans Forum and as a witness in the parliamentary study into women veterans’ experiences. Caleigh is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Asian Resilience Collective Canada (ARCC), which has just released the second edition of its publication focused on the Asian-Canadian experience, ARCMagazine.