SIERRA
LEONE'S
REFUGEE ALL STARS
Photo by Jane Richey
All the members of Sierra
Leone's Refugee All Stars lived
in or near Sierra Leone's
capital city before fleeing
Freetown during the country's
decade-long civil war.
Throughout most of the 1990s,
Freetown remained relatively
sheltered from the rebel war
that had turned much of the West
African nation into a bloody
battlefield. Near the turn of
the 21st century, however,
rebels attacked the city and
forced a panicked mass exodus to
neighboring countries. Among the
thousands who fled were
musicians and future bandmates
Reuben M. Koroma and Franco
(Francis Langba) who connected
in Kalia Refugee Camp in Guinea.
When Reuben and his wife Grace
located Franco they began making
music for their fellow refugees,
providing a welcome distraction
to life in the camps. Their
efforts, however, were to be
short lived. Safety in the Kalia
camp disintegrated when it came
under attack from the Guinean
army and citizenry who believed
the camps were being used as
staging grounds for rebel
attacks against Guinea. With
refugee camps now war zones, the
initial band members were
evacuated from the area and
moved to Sembakounya Refugee
Camp. Set deep in the remote
Guinean countryside, it was here
that, thanks to a Canadian
refugee aid organization, the
developing band was able to
acquire the rusted-out sound
system and beat up electric
guitars that helped officially
launch the group.
At Sembakounya Camp, American
documentary filmmakers Banker
White and Zach Niles along with
Canadian singer-songwriter Chris
Velan encountered Sierra Leone's
Refugee All Stars, which by that
point also included Black
Nature, a teenaged orphan with a
gift for rap, as well as Arahim
(Abdul Rahim Kamara) and
Mohammed Bangura, both of whom
had suffered amputation at the
hands of the rebels. The
first-time filmmakers followed
the band for three years as they
moved from camp to camp and
eventually returned home to face
their war-torn country and
reunite with family, friends and
former bandmates, many of whom
they believed may not have
survived the violence. It was
during this trip that the
current line-up of the band was
cemented and their lifelong
dream of recording in a studio
was realized.
Now Sierra Leone's Refugee All
Stars tour the world spreading
their message of peace and love
in a "can't help but dance" show
that fans from all musical
backgrounds can enjoy. With a
spirited and infectious fusion
of traditional West African
music, roots reggae and rhythmic
traditional folk, Sierra Leone's
Refugee All Stars craft music
that transforms and uplifts. The
collection of songs on their
debut album Living Like A
Refugee, decry the horrors of
war and describe the plight of
refugee life. They have lived
through unimaginable tragedy and
yet Sierra Leone's Refugee All
Stars have become an inspiration
and a symbol of the healing
power of music.
Championed by The New York
Times, critic Stephen Holden
wrote, “As harrowing as these
personal tales may be, the music
buoying them is uplifting. The
cliché bears repeating: music
heals and creates community.” Be
it via the warm,
percussion-steered delights of
“Akera Ka Ambonshor”, the
spirited skiffle of “Soda Soap”
or “Refugee Rolling,” where
uprooted souls manage to rise
above uncertainty with admirable
finesse, Living Like A Refugee
is proof that that there is
always hope to be found.
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Living Like A Refugee, produced
by Chris Velan, was recorded throughout the production of the
Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars film, between August 2002 and
October 2005. Each song is an original composition written
during their years in exile and taken as a whole the album
serves as a musical document of the band's incredible journey.
Featuring field recordings from the refugee camps in Guinea as
well as studio efforts at Sam Jones' Island Studios in Freetown,
these 17 tracks tell the story of life in the camps ("Living
Like A Refugee"). Enduring the horrors of war ("Kele Mani,"
"Weapon Conflict"), facing hunger ("Bull To The Weak"),
remembering lost family members ("Ya N'Digba" was written for
bandleader Reuben's mother) and yet still managing to give
thanks ("Compliments For The Peace"), Sierra Leone's Refugee All
Stars are a testament to the indomitable human spirit and the
transcendent power of music.
Backed by the likes of Keith
Richards, Sir Paul McCartney, Ice Cube, Angelina Jolie and
executive producers Steve Bing and Shelley Lazar - the resulting
documentary film, Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, has won
thirteen major awards as of this writing, including the Grand
Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the AFI Film Festival 2005,
the Audience Favorite Award at the Miami Film Festival 2006, the
Filmmaker's Award For Social Change and the Emerging Pictures
Audience Award (bestowed on the winner of voting by audiences in
eleven cities) at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival 2006,
Best of The Fest at the Human Rights Watch Film Fest and the
Impact of Music Award at the Nashville Film Fest. Sustaining
hope in a landscape dominated by rage and loss is at the core of
this heartbreaking yet life-affirming story.
And while the film has been busy conquering the hearts of
festival goers (including Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry, who
told Billboard "I was just so overwhelmed by the movie and the
message of hope they're carrying. Their music is so buoyant and
joyful.") it is the music of Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars
that is now winning over legions of new fans. Lauded for their
infectious sound and engaging performance, the All Stars are, as
Don Heckman of the Los Angeles Times says, "establishing an
identity based as much on skill, imagination and charisma as on
their undeniably touching story."
To date the band has been featured on CNN and CNN International,
PBS and CBS Sunday Morning, as well as having performed live on
the Oprah Winfrey Show. Their sound is also finding new avenues
of exposure including a song in the film Blood Diamond and two
upcoming humanitarian relief compilations, which they recorded
in the studio with Joe Perry and Steven Tyler. For a group that
started in a remote Guinean refugee camp and only started
touring outside of West Africa less than a year ago, they have
come a long way. In the past year the band has appeared at some
of the most prestigious music festivals worldwide including
Bonnaroo, The Montreal Jazz Fest, The Ottawa Jazz Festival, The
Folk and Roots Festival in Chicago, The Fuji Rock Festival in
Japan, as well as headlining at Central Park Summerstage. In
November, 2006 the band opened for Aerosmith at the Mohegan Sun
Arena and most recently performed for an international audience
at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.
While each of the stories in these songs is told from the band's
personal experience, it is the special gift of Sierra Leone's
Refugee All Stars that the messages they deliver are truly
universal. Born in the midst of a violent, decade-long civil
war, through music they have found a place of refuge, a sense of
purpose and a source of power. The band has seen the worst that
this world can offer - yet, through their unflinching spirit and
joyful music, they celebrate the best in all of us.
Sierra Leone's
Refugee All Stars Links:
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