“We always intend to write songs about peace and love because we always remember our past. We came from a war-torn country. That’s why we never cease to remind people in our music to always remain in peace.” - Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars
How does such joy spring forth from such suffering? Anyone who has seen Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars play live will testify to the uplifting nature of their positive, heartfelt music. And yet the band emerged from circumstances so horrific it is hard to comprehend.
In the early 1990s rebel forces in Sierra Leone were notorious for using unimaginably brutal tactics to establish their dominance – including massacring entire families save one sole survivor, whose arm or leg would then be hacked off.
In January 1999 rebels reached the capital of Freetown, conducting a campaign called “Operation Kill Every Living Thing”. The Refugee All Stars’ leader and guiding spirit, Reuben Koroma, was part of the mass exodus from the city, walking 50 miles with his family to cross the border into Guinea.
Forming the band in the Sembakounya Refugee Camp after the donation of a few tattered instruments from a Canadian relief agency, the musicians travelled from camp to camp, inspiring fellow refugees with their upbeat performances.
This story eventually became a critically acclaimed documentary film entitled Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars. Produced by debut American film-makers Zach Niles and Banker White, the film culminates in the band’s return to Sierra Leone as war recedes from 2001 onwards.
International success soon followed, and by the end of the decade the Refugee All Stars had appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show, contributed to the Blood Diamond movie soundtrack, and been the opening act for rock group Aerosmith.
But the band have never forgotten their roots. As Koroma says: “We try to bring out sensitive issues that are affecting the world. It is all of our responsibility that the masses are suffering. We bring our positive messages into the world so we can expect a positive change in the world. And, most importantly, bring about peace.”
Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars play an expansive and uplifting blend of reggae, roots and Afro-pop. Influences range from Bob Marley and Burning Spear to more traditional African rhythms. See them perform live alongside a host of other celebrated African musicians at the Africa Oye free festival in Liverpool, UK, June 18th-19th 2011.
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