Issue 153

Spotlight on: The Refugee All Stars

26th February 2007

The Refugee All Stars documents the true story of a group of musicians from in and around Freetown in Sierra Leone. After the attack from Revolutionary United Front rebels, they individually made their way to the Kalia Refugee Camp in Guinea where three members, Reuben, Grace and Franco played for their fellow refugees.

Further attacks by Guinean government and citizens left many refugees, like the All Stars abandoned. Eventual help from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees saw the musicians move to Sembakounya Camp where cultural funding from the Center for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI) provided two battered electric guitars, a microphone and a sound system. This was all that was needed for the Refugee All Stars, to start making music.

The Refugee All Stars' album Living Like a Refugee was made over the years of the film's production, 2002 - 2005, and, as well as tracks recorded in a studio in Sierra Leone, contains acoustic tracks recorded at the refugee camp.

'Living Like a Refugee' is available from the official Refugee All Stars website www.refugeeallstars.org

Holly Thomas