Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars

Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars are a testament to the indomitable human spirit and the transcendent power of music. Born in the midst of a violent, decade-long civil war, the band and its music celebrate our ability to sustain hope, inspiration and creativity even in a climate of rage, loss and madness. Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars are comprised of musicians who lived for years as refugees in the West African nation of Guinea. Before having to flee their country, all of the members of the band lived in or around Sierra Leone's capital city, Freetown. Throughout the 1990s, Freetown had remained relatively safe from the rebel war that had turned much of the country into a bloody battlefield. Then in 1999 rebels attacked the city and forced a panicked mass exodus to neighboring countries. Many of the band members separately made their way to Sembakounya Refugee Camp in Guinea. Music brought them together and through a Refugee Aid Organization they were able to acquire a couple of beat up electric guitars along with a rusted out sound system and began forming Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars. At Sembakounya Camp, an American documentary film crew met Sierra Leone's Refugee ... more...