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"Editing is all about politics..." in fact you could say, "Politics is about editing" when you talk about Sudan and its 20-year civil war (why is it 'civil'?). Editing by politicians from the North and South of the country; the warring factions; the international super-powers sniffing at Sudan's rich oil reserves and even the media. After two decades, what ignited the conflict in the first place has been lost, changed in this editing process -- the bare facts that include four million people displaced and, recently, two million in the Darfur scurmishes.

So it was moving to see Just Peace -- a documentary with a simple message and intention: to let the children of the destroyed country have their voice heard. The UK-based ScreenStation Productions was approached by the Sudan Advocacy Coalition, an umbrella group of non-governmental organisations working in Sudan, to make a film that tells the story of the young people from North and South Sudan and their experiences and dreams for the future.

Andy Jones, from ScreenStation Productions, explained the history of the project said how it was the most difficult film experience of his life not only in its content but also in the circumstances they were shooting in.

The challenge for the production was to create a documentary that shows the reality of life for young people in Sudan with a message that looked to the future with some hope. Yes, a peace treaty has been signed by the warring factions and the government and everyone is holding their breath that it will keep. The peace treaty sits on the foundations of genocide perpetrated in Darfur and on the fact that Sudan is considered a 'state sponsor of terror' by the US.

The film makes it crystal clear that children are victims of the adult world. Adults who have ripped to shreds the social fabric of millions of people: the casualties, infrastructure, community, roads have all been destroyed, as have the ideas of safety, education, human rights and democracy.

But it all becomes more real and shocking when you hear a young boy like Michael from the North explaining that he was an orphan and a child soldier by the age of 10. Or Sulwa who comes from a small village and had to flee the fighting, hiding for over four months in the mountains. She and her family lived on grass and had to fish out dead bodies before they drank water they came across.

Just Peace is a film with its heart on its sleeve, it deals with the essence of war and it's terrifying. Let's hope it can add impetus to the fragile peace of Sudan.

The screening was followed by a panel discussion which included Emmanuel Jah the young Sudanese hip hop artist who has recently signed to the UK Riverboat Records. The film Just Peace told stories just like Emmanuel's -- a former child soldier and now spokesman for the Campaign to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers.

Emmanuel is one of the rising hip hop stars in East Africa -- his song 'Gua' reached Number 1 in the Kenyan KTN Top 10 chart and is featured on the forthcoming album The Rough Guide To The Music Of Sudan.

He is currently recording a new album with Abdel Gadir Salim, a venerated master of northern Sudanese music, which will be released by Riverboat Records and the World Music Network in Autumn 2005.

For more info:
Sudan Advocacy Coalition: www.care.or.ke
ScreenStation Productions: www.screenstation.net
Emmanuel Jah go to: www.worldmusic.net
Save the Children: www.savethechildren.org.uk