Living Like a Refugee
Encyclopedia
Living Like a Refugee is the debut album from Sierra Leonian band Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars
, released in the Europe
on 25 September 2006 and in the USA on 26 September 2006.
. Reuben Koroma, the main writer on the album, was a professional musician in Sierra Leone
, his band The Emperors regularly played around Freetown
. In 1997 the violence of the Civil War forced Koroma to flee to neighboring Guinea
where he lived in a UN refugee camps.
. The earliest tracks, Living Like A Refugee and Ma Fo Ya, were recorded live in refugee camps in Guinea
by Banker White and Zach Niles while they were making a documentary about music in refugee camps. Living Like A Refugee was recorded at Sembakounya refugee camp as the band "played by the light of an oil lamp". The others were recorded in 2003 and 2004 at Sam Jones' Island Studios in Freetown
. The album was produced by Chris Velan
who was musical director for the film Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars.
style but others have said this is incorrect and as Sierra Leone’s baskeda music has a feel close to reggae, which the bands writer has commented about. Writing in the The Independent
Andy Morgan describes this similarity as:
Other styles evident in the album include palm-wine
and gumbe
. The track Kele Mani "is lively gumbe, animated by bottle and hand-drum percussion and an ancient-sounding acoustic guitar." The influence of traditional West Africa
n music is present, for example gbute vange
a style of music of Mende
people in the track Pat Malonthone. These styles are overlaid on a baskeda rhythm
and given a modern feel with the use of electric guitars
and drums.
The lyrics of the album's songs speak of the pain and horror experienced during the Sierra Leone Civil War
and the displacement and uncertainty of life as a refugee but the lyrics also talk about hope, peace and love. Track 3 Weapon Conflict incorporates the African proverb
"When two elephants are fighting, the grass dem' a-suffer." as it's lyrics speak out against the suffering of civilians caught up in war. The lyrics to Soda Soap draw directly on experience as a refugee in the camps of Guinea. Soda pop is the name of home made soup which everyone started using in the camps, the song prompts people to respect what they can make themselves. The last song on the album is Ma Fo Ya a traditional song of blessing, about the song Mohamed Bangura says: "I am calling out to my friends to see if they are all safe."
s screening the film. All the money from these sales were sent back to the band in Sierra Leone
. The film's producers, Niles and White, also produced cassette tapes of the album for distribution by the band in Sierra Leone
.
Additional Musicians
Technical
Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars
Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars is a band from Sierra Leone which was formed by a group of refugees displaced to Guinea during the Sierra Leone Civil War. Since their return to Freetown in 2004, the band has toured extensively to raise awareness for humanitarian causes...
, released in the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
on 25 September 2006 and in the USA on 26 September 2006.
Background
Sierra Leone and Freetown in particular has a rich musical history with a vibrant live scene still active start of the 1990s before the start of the Sierra Leone Civil WarSierra Leone Civil War
The Sierra Leone Civil War began on 23 March 1991 when the Revolutionary United Front , with support from the special forces of Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia , intervened in Sierra Leone in an attempt to overthrow the Joseph Momoh government...
. Reuben Koroma, the main writer on the album, was a professional musician in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
, his band The Emperors regularly played around Freetown
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
. In 1997 the violence of the Civil War forced Koroma to flee to neighboring Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
where he lived in a UN refugee camps.
Recording and production
The tracks on the album were recorded over a number of years with the help of the crew of the documentary Sierra Leone's Refugee All StarsSierra Leone's Refugee All Stars (film)
Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars is a documentary film about the musical band of the same name composed entirely of refugees from Freetown displaced to Guinea during the civil war of Sierra Leone....
. The earliest tracks, Living Like A Refugee and Ma Fo Ya, were recorded live in refugee camps in Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
by Banker White and Zach Niles while they were making a documentary about music in refugee camps. Living Like A Refugee was recorded at Sembakounya refugee camp as the band "played by the light of an oil lamp". The others were recorded in 2003 and 2004 at Sam Jones' Island Studios in Freetown
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
. The album was produced by Chris Velan
Chris Velan
Chris Velan is a Montreal-based singer-songwriter and guitarist. While in college, he studied law. After passing the bar, he traveled to West Africa where he was the music producer of a documentary film based around a group of refugee musicians from Sierra Leone.In 2003 Velan returned from West...
who was musical director for the film Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars.
Musical style, writing, composition
The songs on the album fall into a number of different music styles, with some songs a fusion of more than one style. The music on the album has been described as having a reggaeReggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
style but others have said this is incorrect and as Sierra Leone’s baskeda music has a feel close to reggae, which the bands writer has commented about. Writing in the The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
Andy Morgan describes this similarity as:
Other styles evident in the album include palm-wine
Palm-wine music
Palm-wine music is a West African musical genre. It evolved among the Kru people of Sierra Leone and Liberia, who used Portuguese guitars brought by sailors, combining local melodies and rhythms with Trinidadian calypso and soca music...
and gumbe
Gumbe
Gumbe is a style of music from Guinea-Bissau. Gumbe is a specific genre, mostly influenced by zouk music . True gumbe is a fusion of several Bissauan folk traditions. Gumbe is the genre most closely associated with Guinea-Bissauan music worldwide...
. The track Kele Mani "is lively gumbe, animated by bottle and hand-drum percussion and an ancient-sounding acoustic guitar." The influence of traditional West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
n music is present, for example gbute vange
a style of music of Mende
Mende
Mende may refer to the African ethnic group and its language, various individuals and places.Ethnic group* Mende people* Mende language* Mende syllabary People:...
people in the track Pat Malonthone. These styles are overlaid on a baskeda rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
and given a modern feel with the use of electric guitars
Electric Guitars
Electric Guitars were formed early in 1980 by Neil Davenport and Richard Hall who were both studying English at Bristol University. The band soon increased to a five-man line-up, with Andy Saunders , Matt Salt and Dick Truscott , they also later added two backing singers: Sara and Wendy...
and drums.
The lyrics of the album's songs speak of the pain and horror experienced during the Sierra Leone Civil War
Sierra Leone Civil War
The Sierra Leone Civil War began on 23 March 1991 when the Revolutionary United Front , with support from the special forces of Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia , intervened in Sierra Leone in an attempt to overthrow the Joseph Momoh government...
and the displacement and uncertainty of life as a refugee but the lyrics also talk about hope, peace and love. Track 3 Weapon Conflict incorporates the African proverb
Proverb
A proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim...
"When two elephants are fighting, the grass dem' a-suffer." as it's lyrics speak out against the suffering of civilians caught up in war. The lyrics to Soda Soap draw directly on experience as a refugee in the camps of Guinea. Soda pop is the name of home made soup which everyone started using in the camps, the song prompts people to respect what they can make themselves. The last song on the album is Ma Fo Ya a traditional song of blessing, about the song Mohamed Bangura says: "I am calling out to my friends to see if they are all safe."
Release and promotion
The album was originally only sold independently, sold through the Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars film's website and at film festivalFilm festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
s screening the film. All the money from these sales were sent back to the band in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
. The film's producers, Niles and White, also produced cassette tapes of the album for distribution by the band in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
.
Critical reception
Living Like A Refugee is described as an internally acclaimed album.Track list
Personnel
Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars- Reuben M. Koroma – Band Leader, lead vocals
- Francis John Langba (Franco) – rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, kongroma, vocals - Abdul Rahim Kamara (Arahim) – vocals, percussion
- Efuah Grace – vocals
- Alhaji Jeffrey Kamara (Black Nature) – rapRapRap may refer to:*Rapping, performance in which rhyming lyrics are used, with or without musical accompaniment ; while an MC performs spoken verses in time to a beat/ melody**Hip hop subculture**Hip hop music...
, vocals - Mohamed Bangura (Medo) – vocals, percussion, kongroma
- Ashade Pearce – lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, vocals - Mustapha Massaquoi (Nico) – drums, percussion
- Idrissa Malam Bangura – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Geassay Jah Sun Dowu Bull – lead guitar, percussion
- Mohammed Makengo Kamara – vocals, percussion
Additional Musicians
- Andrew (Jah Open the Door) Mamania – vocals, percussion
- Abdul Bean – rhythm guitar
- Chris VelanChris VelanChris Velan is a Montreal-based singer-songwriter and guitarist. While in college, he studied law. After passing the bar, he traveled to West Africa where he was the music producer of a documentary film based around a group of refugee musicians from Sierra Leone.In 2003 Velan returned from West...
– bass guitar, guitar, keyboards, vocals, percussion - Mohammed (Funky) Bangura – bass guitar
- Mohammed Bedo Kamara – drums
- Frank Hallowei – keyboards
Technical
- EJ Holowicki – field recording mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
(tracks 1, 17) - Chris Velan – productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
- Daniel Cinelli – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
, mixing and additional overdubsOverdubbingOverdubbing is a technique used by recording studios to add a supplementary recorded sound to a previously recorded performance.... - Ghislain Brind'Amour – assistant engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
Charts
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Reggae Albums | 8 |
| US Billboard World Albums | 15 |