Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars is a band formed in Guinea’s refugee camps in the early 2000s during the brutal civil war in Sierra Leone. The group uses music as a form of healing and storytelling, blending traditional West African sounds with roots reggae, Afrobeat, palm wine music and other styles. The band is a potent example of the redeeming power of music and the ability of the human spirit to persevere through unimaginable hardship to emerge with optimism intact. From their humble beginnings Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars have performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages and matured into one of Africa’s top touring and recording bands.
Featured Songs:
The African reggae track “It’s So Sorry” appeared on the band’s 2014 Cumbancha release Libation and on Putumayo's Global Reggae. Band member Jahson Bull sings in the Sierra Leonean Krio language about the importance of taking control of your own destiny. “Don’t look to another person, brother, do your own / Because when you fail, they are ready to laugh / So when the time comes to help yourself / It’s no joke because you’ve got to work.”
Featured on Reggae Routes their song, “Living Stone,” originally appeared as a longer version on their 2010 Cumbancha release Rise & Shine. Recorded in New Orleans, the song features members of the band Bonerama. The writer and singer of this song Mohamed Kamara (aka Makengoh) explains, “You have to watch and believe before you can do it. You can’t look where you are jumping from but always watch where you are stepping down. I’m always mindful of the stepping stones.”
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