Jose

It was 1988 and Angola was still in the midst of a civil war. I was fifteen years old and knew what could occur to boys my age – forceful and violent recruitment by the rebel army. It was Saturday morning at the market when a group of rebels attacked me. I tried to flee, I was screaming, and so was my mother; I can still hear her screams to this day, but they just took me with them. My childhood ended at that exact moment.