Can’t Break The African Spirit: Southport author Sam Jalloh’s new book reveals his message to humanity

A man who survived the civil war in Sierra Leone to become a world class tennis coach and inspirational speaker has published a new book about his life – and his plea to humanity.

Sam Jalloh has written ‘Can’t Break The Africa Spirit’ to share his message of peace and hope, imploring people to understand that we are all one people.

He shares his views on how to make Africa, and the world, a better place, with a range of solutions.

The proud father-of-two would love to see more support for parents, less power for elites and more empathy for others.

Sam Jalloh said: “It is good to get my story out there.

“My whole life, I have just wanted to help humanity and to see how I can get communities of people to understand that at the end of the day we are just one people.

“We should all love and care for each other.

“The response to the book has been great, and the reviews have been really positive.

“The book talks about how corruption is divided into two. Firstly among some African politicians, and secondly how Western and some Asian countries have been corrupting Africa.

“This needs to change. People need to stop exploiting African countries and the continent’s resources.”

Southport author, inspirational speaker and tennis coach has written a new book, ‘Can’t Break The African Spirit’. Photo by Andrew Brown Media

‘Can’t Break The Africa Spirit’ explores how “we are living in a world dominated by a small number of supremacists”. That everything is governed by them and focused on the profit they make and the control they hold over the population, both within Africa and elsewhere.

Sam loves Sierra Leone, and Africa, but is frustrated that both have struggled to realise their full potential.

Sam grew up in Sierra Leone where food was scarce, dangers were rife and the challenges many.

Tragically he saw the cruel realities of civil war first hand when he saw his best friend shot and killed while he was next to him. His outlook on life changed instantly.

He left the war-torn country and eventually settled in the seaside town of Southport, where he married and has enjoyed raising twin 17-year-old daughters Sierra and Sahara.

He has travelled the world coaching some of the biggest names in tennis.

He has also toured a huge number of countries across the globe sharing his story and his message for the future. He particularly enjoys speaking to and spending time with young people as he seeks to help them to understand the world they are growing into.

He said: “After surviving my birth in Sierra Leone, a country that continues to have one of the highest neonatal and infant mortality rates in the world, I went on to be the first boy in my family to celebrate my second birthday – unlike my three brothers born before me.

“At the age of six, I was adopted from my biological parents to a new home where I faced constant punishment.

“After my best friend got shot, that really changed me.

Sam Jalloh with daughters Sierra and Sahara

“When it happened, I looked at my Mum and she looked at me in a way that said ‘I don’t want to see that happen to you’.

“To this day, I ask myself ‘what if’?

“What if we had been standing just 10 yards away from where we were when my friend was shot?

“When I was growing up, I suffered many beatings from my adopted family, and then saw the brutality of the civil war in Sierra Leone, where a quarter of a million people lost their lives.

“In a small way, this is my story, but in a greater sense this is our story. Regardless of my origin or where you come from, we are connected through history and the deeds of those who came before us.

“It is time we stood together and said to the supremacists, ‘We see you, we know what you are doing, we accept it no more’.”

Sam is the winner of the BBC Inspirations Awards 2020, a Tedx Speaker and has featured on shows including BBC One Breakfast, BBC One Sunday Morning Live, BBC Radio Four Saturday Live, BBC World Service TV and Radio, BBC Africa and many more.

His book reveals a powerful insight into his incredible journey of how one man has defied the odds to become a truly inspirational figure around the world.

Sam Jalloh at Broadhursts Bookshop in Southport

His previous books include ‘How Tennis Saved My Life’ and in ‘Can’t Break The Africa Spirit’ he has more to say.

Sam said: ”When you turn on your TV, you see a lot of issues with drugs, with knife crime, wars taking place.

“There are reasons for all of this and it makes you think ‘how can we help the society we live in’?

“I have come from a country with some real poverty.

“I can only say people born in the UK are among the luckiest on the planet.

“If you are unwell, you can go for free to the nearest hospital where they will look after you well and for free.

“If you want a good education, you can go to school all the way up to 18, for free.

“If you are out of work, you will get benefits. If you are hungry, there are food banks that will support you.

“If you want to find work, there is work that people can do.

“Then I go back to Africa and I see the lives that people there are living.

“Families there don’t have 10% of what we have here in the UK.

Sam Jalloh with Liverpool FC legend Alan Kennedy

“If people in the UK want to know how bad their lives really are, go to  Africa, go to Asia, see how the kids growing up there are living their lives and the opportunities they have in life.”

While Sam believes life is easier in the UK and in the West, he also recognises that there are many problems that people face, particularly with issues such as crime.

The dad-of-two believes that society’s strength lies with strong family bonds, with good parents and strong role models.

He said: “I think, as a country, we should be spending more money and more time in trying to support and educate parents, especially young parents.

“I have two teenage daughters. There is no way my daughters would go out onto the streets, join a gang, or get a knife and stab someone.

“There is no way they would disrespect anyone they meet.

“It is important to teach children lessons about empathy, and how to care about other people, and those lessons come from parents.

“It is my responsibility and our daughter’s mum’s responsibility to teach our kids about empathy and good values in life, how to be respectful to everyone in the community.

“We have so many young parents today and sometimes they need more support.

Sam Jalloh on the Motivate Africa Tour 2021

“People talk about schools and what they can do, but we should not leave everything to teachers who see kids for six hours a day among classes of 30 or more. They cannot do everything.

“We should instead be giving parents the tools, the skills and the confidence to educate their children.

“Society cannot teach kids what we can as parents. Society can only react to them.

“I think the solution is the parents.

“I have been to lots of schools and colleges speaking with thousands of children on how they should behave in life and how we can cut down on knife crime.

“I encourage them to become good citizens, and to choose the people around them wisely.

“It’s so important to choose good friends who encourage you to be the best you can be, and who will not invite you to try drugs or join a gang. When you choose good friends, then it will always help you.

“I like to encourage young people to stay positive and to make education their number one priority.

“When I was growing up in Sierra Leone, I had friends who didn’t drink, who didn’t do drugs, who didn’t commit crime.

“For the last 10 years I volunteered for a local charity called Liverpool Heartbeat, winners of the Queen’s Voluntary Service Award 2022, which was founded by Robin Baynes MBE. We met in 2012 and became friends.

“We go into schools and talk to young people about drugs, about knife crime, about gangs, about teenage pregnancy, lots of issues they face and how to face them.

“Robin is remarkable. He doesn’t stop, every day he goes out to help people.

“For our younger generations, it is good that there are people out there who are keen to help them to become better.”

Sam also has a powerful belief in inviting people to share their similarities rather than their differences, to seek community instead of division.

He said: “At the end of the day we should celebrate diversity. We are all human beings living under the same clouds.

“Why not enjoy and celebrate what makes everyone different?

“People should go out and find their passion for what they love to do.

“I have found my passion for helping people.

“The last Chapter in my book is called ‘A Message To All Mankind’.

“Regardless of our diversity, we are all one big family.

“Every human being has the right to live on this planet.

“Even from a young age respect for other people and for all of humanity is so important – it doesn’t matter how rich people are, how poor, what race, what colour, what religion, we are all similar and we should respect each other.

“Some people are tall, some are short, some are fast, some are slow, we are all different in so many ways, but we are all the same humanity.

“When you look at a field of flowers, all the different colours are beautiful. When you look at a rainbow, all the colours are beautiful.

“It is the same with people. It is how we can learn to look at each other as one big human family.

Southport author, inspirational speaker and tennis coach has written a new book, ?Can?t Break The African Spirit?. Photo by Andrew Brown Media

“If we can learn to look past people’s race, religion, political views, and to become more tolerant of one another, this world will become a better place.

“We need to start thinking of each other as one human family.

“Let’s all love, let’s care, let’s have empathy for one another.

“This is a very diverse planet. We need to learn about, respect and appreciate each other’s differences.”

•     Can’t Break The African Spirit  is written by Sam P Jalloh and published by Fisher King Publishing. It is available at Broadhurst’s Bookshop at 5-7 Market Street, Southport, PR8 1HD and other bookshops in the UK and also via the Amazon website. 

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