Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars
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Born in Guinea's refugee camps during the civil war, Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars turned the event into songs of hope, faith and joy that conquered the world's greatest scenes.
During the civil war in Sierra Leone (1991-2002), Freetown musicians fled to the refugee camps in Guinea. Reuben M. Koroma and his wife Grace found guitarist Francis John Langba, known as "Franco", and bassist Idrisssa Bangura: with two electric guitars, a microphone and a small sono offered by a Canadian organization, the Refugee All Stars were born.
Back in Freetown in 2004, the band became a global phenomenon thanks to the award-winning documentary "Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars" (2005), which follows its course from the camps to the studios. Their first album, "Living Like a Refugee" (2006, Anti-), propel them on the most prestigious scenes, from NPR's Tiny Desk to the major festivals, with collaborations like Aerosmith and a contribution to the original band of "Blood Diamond".
The band's first soundtrack was "Rise & Shine" (2010), "Radio Salone" (2012) and "Libation" (2014, Cumbancha), produced by Chris Velan for the group's ten years: a return to the acoustic sound "around the fire" of their debut, between reggae, highlife, palm wine, maringa, baskeda and gumbe.
"Music can heal trauma," says guitarist Jahson Gbassay Bull. "It's the All Stars signature: sunny melodies and choruses to sing together, carrying life advice, humour and unbroken faith in better days — a living testimony to the resilience of the human mind.