Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars in concert

Submitted by Marmian Grimes
Phone: (907) 474-7902
05/14/07

Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars are bringing their blend of afrobeat/reggae music to the Hering Auditorium Saturday, June 16 at 8 p.m. Formed in a refugee camp in the West African nation of Guinea, the group is the subject of the award-winning documentary film "Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars."? The film will be broadcast nationwide on PBS this summer and carried throughout Alaska on KUAC/AlaskaOne.

In less than one year, Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars went from performing their first show outside of Africa to appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show. The band has also been featured on PBS, CNN International and "CBS Sunday Morning."? They’ve played on five continents for tens of thousands of people around the world at such high-profile events as Bonnaroo in the United States, Fuji Rock Festival in Japan and the East and West Coast Blues & Roots Festivals in Australia, among others. The band is actively working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and ninemillion.org to bring attention to the plight of refugees around the globe. The All Stars also recently performed at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January 2007.

The concert at Hering June 16 will coincide with the Fairbanks celebration of Juneteenth, the nation’s oldest and longest-running observance of the ending of slavery in America. The All Stars will also perform at the University of Alaska Anchorage as part of Juneteenth and in Talkeetna as well.

Tickets for Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars Hering Auditorium concert will go on sale Friday April 27 at www.alaskatix.com, Wood Center, Grassroots Guitar or by phone at 474-6026. Tickets are for reserved seating and will cost $20 for UAF and K-12 students and $30 for general admission.

The concert is sponsored by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Student Activities Office and KUAC. Additional support is provided by the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Diversity, UAF Summer Sessions, the Juneteenth Planning Committee and the ASUAF Concert Board.

CONTACT: Jeff Stepp, student activities coordinator, at (907) 474-6026 or jeff.stepp@uaf.edu or Marmian Grimes, UAF public information officer, at (907) 474-7902 or via e-mail at marmian.grimes@uaf.edu for video or press availability.

ON THE WEB:
www.uaf.edu/activity
www.rosebudus.com/refugeeallstars/index.html
www.refugeeallstars.org