U.S. TOUR FOR ALL STAR REFUGEES !
US tour for All Star Refugees
By Leslie Goffe BBC News, New York
The group met in a refugee camp during Sierra Leone's civil war. Reuben Koroma used to live as a refugee, but now he and the other members of Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars band are celebrated wherever they go, especially in the United States.
The musicians met and began a band in refugee camps in Guinea after fleeing the civil war in Sierra Leone.
"It is like a dream, and I like it," says the band's lead singer Koroma, of the thousands of Americans who turned out to see his band when it toured the US in the summer.
They played before 75,000 people at a music festival in the American South and received a standing ovation at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.
The All Stars were received so positively, they returned to the US in October to begin a month long, 19-city tour that will keep them in the US until the end of November.
War
"Americans say they never knew these kinds of things were happening," says Koroma, whose father was shot down in front of him and whose mother died trying to escape the civil war.
I believe my music can bring positive changes.
Reuben KoromaThe band's percussionist saw his parents, his wife, and his child murdered, and had his hand cut off.
He plays percussion with his one remaining hand. Still, band members say they are not bitter.
"Even the one who did that to me," insists band member Arahim, "if I met him, I'll greet him".
Koroma agrees. He says even though many of those who killed innocent civilians can be found driving taxis in Sierra Leone today, he would rather use his life to make things better in the future.
"I believe my music can bring positive changes and make people, Americans and others who like my music, stop the suffering in whatever little way they can."
Action
And it is Americans that Koroma really wants to reach with his music.
He believes US politicians could bring a halt to atrocities and much of the world's suffering if they wanted to.
Although Sierra Leone's war is over, life remains hard for most"I would tell them that it is time Africa got attention," says the All Stars leader, who happens to be touring the US during its important mid-term elections, a time when hundreds of seats in the US Congress are up for grabs.
"I would tell them this Darfur issue really needs an immediate attention," says Koroma, showing that although he is no longer a refugee, he is still concerned about others in that plight.
"It is really, really time they paid attention to Darfur."
Visas
Koroma is careful with his criticism, though.
After all, it was not easy for his band to secure visas to tour the United States.
No-one in the band had a bank account or even a taxpayer's identification because Sierra Leone is still trying to rebuild and the US authorities were reluctant to grant the band visas.
It took the intervention of Nancy Pelosi, a leading Democratic politician, for the All Stars to gain entry to the US.
Besides, Koroma knows that had it not been for the two US filmmakers who discovered his band in a refugee camp in 2002, the world might have never heard of the All Stars.
When Sierra Leone's civil war ended in 2002, Koroma returned home, forgetting about the film made about his band until 2005 when it won several important awards.
The film, and the All Stars debut album, Living Like A Refugee, has won the band fans around the world.
It also won them important friends, as well, like ex-Beatle Paul McCartney and rapper Ice Cube.
The All Stars say they are happy at home in Sierra Leone now. They want to build a recording studio and they want to record more albums about the struggles of refugees.
"We are trying to build the new Sierra Leone," explains Koroma shortly before going on-stage in New York.
"We are not refugees, anymore."
By Leslie Goffe BBC News, New York
The group met in a refugee camp during Sierra Leone's civil war. Reuben Koroma used to live as a refugee, but now he and the other members of Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars band are celebrated wherever they go, especially in the United States.
The musicians met and began a band in refugee camps in Guinea after fleeing the civil war in Sierra Leone.
"It is like a dream, and I like it," says the band's lead singer Koroma, of the thousands of Americans who turned out to see his band when it toured the US in the summer.
They played before 75,000 people at a music festival in the American South and received a standing ovation at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.
The All Stars were received so positively, they returned to the US in October to begin a month long, 19-city tour that will keep them in the US until the end of November.
War
"Americans say they never knew these kinds of things were happening," says Koroma, whose father was shot down in front of him and whose mother died trying to escape the civil war.
I believe my music can bring positive changes.
Reuben KoromaThe band's percussionist saw his parents, his wife, and his child murdered, and had his hand cut off.
He plays percussion with his one remaining hand. Still, band members say they are not bitter.
"Even the one who did that to me," insists band member Arahim, "if I met him, I'll greet him".
Koroma agrees. He says even though many of those who killed innocent civilians can be found driving taxis in Sierra Leone today, he would rather use his life to make things better in the future.
"I believe my music can bring positive changes and make people, Americans and others who like my music, stop the suffering in whatever little way they can."
Action
And it is Americans that Koroma really wants to reach with his music.
He believes US politicians could bring a halt to atrocities and much of the world's suffering if they wanted to.
Although Sierra Leone's war is over, life remains hard for most"I would tell them that it is time Africa got attention," says the All Stars leader, who happens to be touring the US during its important mid-term elections, a time when hundreds of seats in the US Congress are up for grabs.
"I would tell them this Darfur issue really needs an immediate attention," says Koroma, showing that although he is no longer a refugee, he is still concerned about others in that plight.
"It is really, really time they paid attention to Darfur."
Visas
Koroma is careful with his criticism, though.
After all, it was not easy for his band to secure visas to tour the United States.
No-one in the band had a bank account or even a taxpayer's identification because Sierra Leone is still trying to rebuild and the US authorities were reluctant to grant the band visas.
It took the intervention of Nancy Pelosi, a leading Democratic politician, for the All Stars to gain entry to the US.
Besides, Koroma knows that had it not been for the two US filmmakers who discovered his band in a refugee camp in 2002, the world might have never heard of the All Stars.
When Sierra Leone's civil war ended in 2002, Koroma returned home, forgetting about the film made about his band until 2005 when it won several important awards.
The film, and the All Stars debut album, Living Like A Refugee, has won the band fans around the world.
It also won them important friends, as well, like ex-Beatle Paul McCartney and rapper Ice Cube.
The All Stars say they are happy at home in Sierra Leone now. They want to build a recording studio and they want to record more albums about the struggles of refugees.
"We are trying to build the new Sierra Leone," explains Koroma shortly before going on-stage in New York.
"We are not refugees, anymore."
BBC NEWS REPORT.
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