REFUGEE ALL- STAR BAND

Refugee All-Star Band played last night and the power of redemptive suffering filled the air. Through reggae and African traditional music this band of souls showed us what can come out of the other side of a tunnel of pain. In the presence of their joy and passion for peace and forgiveness, daily problems that seemed so all-consuming on the ticket line vanished in a shameful mist. Is there an opposite to schaudenfreude? Is it possible to feel discomfort at the realization that your anemic problems and your neurotic obsession with them are nothing compared to the real suffering of others. There stood on that stage the credibility that flows from Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning or Elie Wiesel's speeches and writings. A song introduction about the importance of smiling that out of this context would have deserved ridicule became a clarion call to never forget the power of that human expression especially when it was displayed so gloriously by the beautiful one-armed back-up singer to the speaker's left. Later during the final song when the lead announced that now the band members will each dance, a broad smile graced that face of that same back-up man as his empty sleeve swayed to the music . True enough that our own pain is real and in some way unmeasurable but in this moment in time the chilling anti-schaudenfreude cast its spell . See their website for information on their albums and the documentary www.refugeeallstars.comSource: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)Date: 08 Oct 2003Print E-mail SaveRefugee band gets on soapbox in Guinea's campsAlbadariah, Guinea, Oct 8 (UNHCR) - A refugee band has jumped on the soapbox in Guinea's camps, singing songs from its debut album, "Soda Soap", and infecting the crowds with bubbly tunes of hope and healing.Over the weekend, "Refugee All Star", a five-member band of Sierra Leonean refugees, performed at Kountaya and Boreah camps in the Albadariah area of Guinea. During the three-hour concerts, the band members had refugees and aid workers singing and dancing to songs from "Soda Soap", which they recorded on a go-and-see trip to Sierra Leone recently."We sing about issues affecting our people," said band leader Ruben Koruma. "Our aim is to contribute to healing the trauma of the refugees by helping them to forget their bad experience."Besides singing about the war in Sierra Leone and their refugee experiences, the band members also convey positive messages through their songs to inspire confidence and encourage refugees to return and rebuild their homeland.Title song "Soda Soap", for example, celebrates the self-reliance of the refugees and encourages them to undertake income-generating activities like soap-making.Roseline Idowu, who heads the UNHCR sub-office in nearby Kissidougou, congratulated the musicians for their successful concerts and asked them to continue inspiring refugees in the turbulent West Africa region."Refugee All Star", comprising one woman and four men, was discovered more than a year ago in Guinea's Sembakounya camp, which has since closed. The musicians are now living in Boreah camp.With help from well-wishers, they hope to produce a video documentary on the band. They also plan to complete the production of "Soda Soap" in the United States and to launch the album in Guinea before bringing their songs of hope home to Sierra Leone.By Ibrahima DianéUNHCR GuineaWith the exception of public UN sources, reproduction or redistribution of the above text, in whole, part or in any form, requires the prior consent of the original source.Print E-mail SaveSee all maps for this EmergencyFIND RELATED DOCUMENTSBy Country:GuineaSierra LeoneBy Source:United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)By Type:Feature StoriesFIND RELATED DOCUMENTSBy Country: Guinea; Sierra LeoneBy Source: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)By Type: Feature StoriesHome Search Site Map About ReliefWeb Contact Privacy Statement Legal Donor Support Comments© 2006 ReliefWeb