Hesam Ronawaz & Ali Salif
Ali Salif and Hesam Ronawaz perform the song 'Nafisa'. Ali, 31, comes from Ghazni, Afghanistan and plays dambura. He has been a refugee in Greece since 2009. Hesam, 22, comes from Kunduz in Afghanistan. Here he plays tabla percussion but also plays the traditional Afghan stringed instrument the rubab. He studied music for 8 years, and has been a refugee in Greece since 2010.
‘Nafisa’ is based on a traditional Afghan music composition. The lyrics were written in 2010 by Ali Salif for Nafisa, his loved one, while he was being held in a detention centre in Athens, Greece. The performance was recorded at the Greek Forum of Refugees in Athens.
More information about refugees in Greece.
Alex Perea Palacios
In the isolated region of Bajo Atrato, Colombia, live thousands of adolescents and adults of African and indigenous descent. The indigenous communities have remained secluded here for centuries and the Afro-Colombians are descendants of Africans brought to America as slaves. Fleeing from the armed conflict elsewhere in Colombia, they settled in this area and created an ambitious but highly effective project called the Inter-Ethnic Youth Leadership School, which prepares the youth for one goal: to defend their residence in these territories.
Despite the uphill challenges, 30 leaders from the Interethnic Youth Leadership School devised and created the publication 'Remembering Our Story' in which several communities, ethnic authorities, parents, grandparents, children and youth united to tell the world what has happened to them in the past and how they are joining hand in hand to move forward towards a lasting peaceful solution.
Here, Alex Perea Palacios sings a song in praise of the Inter-Ethnic School.
More information about refugees in Colombia.
Los Calimas
Los Calimas are brothers Christian (17) and Alejandro (16) Hincapie, refugees from Colombia. This love song was written in tribute to a friend of the brothers. The word ‘Calima’ means indigenous people in some countries of the region and was used prior to the colonization of the Americas. The brothers named themselves ‘The Calimas’ in tribute to their roots and hometown of Cali, Colombia. The group ‘The Calimas’ has another member, a Panamanian friend of the brothers whom they met when they arrived to Panama three years ago.
After fleeing Cali, they spent almost three years in Panama waiting for recognition of their refugee status. The song is two years old and is the first song the brothers wrote. The video was recorded in Panama at the Panamanian Red Cross facilities, the UNHCR’s partner in the country.
More information about refugees in Panama.
Ousmane Ag Oumar
Ousmane Ag Oumar was born in 1989 in Niono, Mali, he is a member of the Kel Ansar tribe. His musical home is the Touareg band Imarhan. In 2012 he was forced to break off his university studies to leave Mali. He fled initially to Mauritania, and later to Burkina Faso.
Arriving in France in September, 2014, he made an asylum application to the Office French Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA). He is waiting for a decision. Ousmane, in the song 'Legh Tanna', Ousmane uses music to express his inner pain and to describe the suffering of the Tuareg people following Mali's independence in 1960.
(Video submitted by Christopher Nolan/Clermont Music, 
2015).
More information about refugees in Mali.
Vincent Calissa
Vincent Calissa, a refugee from Rwanda, became a Romanian citizen in 2012. He performs the song 'Kuku'. As he explains, the song originates from the Ivory Coast and Mali and was formerly sung by village women coming home from fishing; they would use fishing implements to beat the rhythm. “This is dedicated to the women in the family, and I play it as a tribute to my mother” says Vincent.
More information about refugees in Romania.
Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars
Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars is a band from Sierra Leone. It 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. After the documentary film about their escape to Guinea and the forming of the band, ('Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars', 2005), SLRAS now perform hundreds of concerts all over the globe.
This video was made under improvised conditions when the band arrived in Amsterdam from the US, as part of a tour - the next stops were Spain and La Reunion. The musicians were extremely tired after spending the previous night stuck in Istanbul airport; the guitar was borrowed from a nearby shop, drums were not available. Nonetheless the artists were more than willing to sing for 'aLive'. “UNHCR helped us a lot”, says head of the group, Reuben Koroma.
More information about refugees in Sierra Leone.
My Dream
The members of My Dream fled from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola, to find refuge in Ukraine. Efun Dindi Noda, Déborah Masamba, Morris Tshibangu, Nadia Beinkiand and Marianna Nkiavette divide their time between work and study. They love to improvise on themes from their native Africa - their song ‘Nuso Ozomona’ / ‘Everything Changes’ is an appeal for multicultural dialogue.
The members came to Ukraine in early 90s from various African countries affected by civil wars and military conflicts. Band leader Marianna Nkiavette (39) arrived from Angola in 1992. The one-time bazaar merchant became a university student with genuine interest in intercultural issues. “I'm only one step away from making my dream come true!” says Marianna. She will very shortly obtain her university diploma in International Information from the Open International University of Human Development in Ukraine.They play music to show how people can find common ground and live peacefully in harmony.
More information about the situation in Ukraine.
El-Mangu
The members of El-Mangu are cousins, brothers, sisters and extended family. They fled South Sudan in early 2014 and managed to finally reach Kenya. Describing their journey, they say “We spent three days looking for water and faced lots of other challenges, but somehow managed to cope. We lost a lot during this time - some of us lost their parents. But music helps us, gives us hope and motivates us."
"We used to make music in South Sudan – a passion we inherited from our grandfather Mangu, after whom we named our El-Mangu musical band. We chose to perform this song today because we wish for people to come together, uniting nations and tribes. We want people to live in harmony. We have been through many challenges but music makes us happy.”
More information about refugees in Kenya and South Sudan.
Wissam Alali
In this video we see Wissam Alali, who arrived in Italy from Syria. Along with many others, Wissam travelled on a ship which became lost in the Mediterranean. He jumped into the sea and began to swim. Eventually picked up, he led his rescuers back to save his companions.
Once he arrived in south Italy he headed to Milan, arriving at Milan's central railway station like many migrants before him. There he met volunteers who helped him find his feet. The video was recorded at the station (submitted by Stefano Vergari).
More information about refugees in Italy.
Dima Ivashchenko
Having fled conflict zones twice in his lifetime, Dima Ivashchenko finds relief in music. Born in Azerbaijan, of Ukrainian/Armenian/Azerbaijani heritage, he has lived most of his life in Ukraine. Dima is 32 years old, and lived in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk until military hostilities caused the displacement of over 1.3 million citizens. He left Donetsk in May 2015, but this was not the first time that he has fled military conflict: the 7 year-old Dima and his family initially fled Azerbaijan following threats of violence towards Armenians.
He now dedicates his life to music and wants to make a new start in Kyiv following his successful performance in Ukraine’s most popular TV show, The Voice. “I sing whenever I`m happy, sad or even desperate. Song is my relief. The song I perform here is a Ukrainian national song, and dates back to the XVIIIth century".
Dima explains: "The song ‘Poor Seagull’ tells the story of a seagull whose small chicks were killed by malevolent people. So it’s a song about a mother who lost her children. In my mind it’s an acute problem for Ukraine.”
More information about the situation in Ukraine.
Nayim Alal
Nayim Alal was born to a nomadic family at the Ued Hawa, near Smara, Western Sahara Territory in 1966. In 1975, he fled with all his family to Tifariti, then Mahbes and finally Tindouf. When he finished his studies in the camp school, he had to do military service, where he learned the accordion and acoustic guitar. He subsequently joined the SPLA (Sahwari People's Liberation Army) in 1986, as part of the Sahrawi military band. In 1997 he was moved back to Tindouf, where he joined the musical group Wilaya of El Aaiun when he left the Army. He joined the Sahrawi band Leyoad in 1998, which toured Europe presenting the album Mariem Hassan con Leyoad.
In 2003, he released his first solo album, sung in Arabic and featuring his electric guitar. He is considered one of the innovators of Western Sahara's traditional hawl music, and his work has been added to the World Music National Geographic database. The character of some of Allal's lyrics is politically highly charged; they reflect the uncertainties which Western Sahara has faced in recent years. Currently Nayim Alal lives in the Sahrawi refugees camp of Rabuni, near Tinduf, Algeria.
(Video submitted by Nubenegra, ℗1998).
More information about refugees in the Western Sahara Territory.
Mariem Hassan
Born in Ued Tazua, Mariem Hassan, has lived in the Smara camp of Western Sahara Territory refugees in Tindouf/ Algeria from 1975-2002. There he died of cancer on August 22nd 2015. Between 1978 – 1988 as a member of El Wali, she performed political songs, protesting about the situation of the Sahrawi people. As a member of Leyoad, she performed in Europe and in 2004 she founded her own band.
In 2005, her first solo album was released. 'Deseos' ('Wishes') was Hassan's personal interpretation of traditional Haul music. She was the subject of a 2007 documentary film ‘Mariem Hassan, la voz del Sáhara’; in 2013 she completed a Sahrawi oral history project ('Cuéntame Abuelo – Música') and in October 2014, Calamar Edicion y Diseño published her official biography.
This performance was filmed in the Rabuni refugee camp in southwestern Algeria in January 1998.
(Video submitted by Nubenegra, ℗1998).
More information about refugees in the Western Sahara Territory.
Mahfud Aliyen
Born in Western Sahara Territory, Mahfud Aliyen (56) is the best-known singer of the Sahrawis. He has been living in the Sahrawi refugee camp of El Aaiun, Algeria, since 1975. As a member of El Wali, he played in numerous music events and performed in Europe as a member of Leyoad. At present his health is delicate due to the conditions of the refugee camps and the extreme climate of the Algerian Hamada where the camps are located. Despite this, Mahfud is participating in an ambitious project to safeguard the Sahrawi oral tradition, entitled 'Tell Me Grandpa'.
Mahfud here incessantly repeats the name of his loved, madly proclaiming his anxiety and beating the rhythm on his chest with his hands. This video was recorded in the Rabuni refugee camp in southwestern Algeria.
(Video submitted by Nubenegra, ℗1998).
More information about refugees in the Western Sahara Territory.
Johnie Kak
Singer/ songwriter Johnie Kak is 22 years old, a refugee from Burundi. At the age of two, Johnie fled Burundi together with his parents and seven older brothers and sisters. He came to Kenya via Tanzania, and has lived in the Dadaab refugee camps since 2008. Dadaab is the biggest refugee hosting complex in the world. The five camps are close to the Kenyan-Somali border and host a total of over 350,000 refugees, mostly from Somalia.
“I picked the song because everyone needs peace. It helps societies to grow and people to go back to their countries. Love brings people together and makes them live in harmony. Especially for Burundi, love and peace are needed. Music is my life. When I am stressed and tired, I just listen to music. It is something in my blood, something I have been doing ever since I was little.” The video was recorded in Dadaab, Kenya.
More information about refugees in Kenya.