The Avalon Foundation is proud to announce Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars as the headline performer for the 15th Annual Multicultural Festival, to be held in Idewild Park in Easton on Saturday, May 3rd.  The free outdoor event, held from 10am-2pm, will celebrate our community’s rich diversity through family-friendly activities.  This year will mark the 5th anniversary of the partnership between the Avalon Foundation and Talbot P.E.A.C.E., the founding organization of the Multicultural Festival.  Friends, neighbors, and visitors are all encouraged to join the celebration through live music, dance, arts, crafts, food and fellowship.

The Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars are known throughout the world for spreading their story of the power of the human spirit to persevere and prevail through unimaginable hardship, and to emerge with faith and optimism intact.  Formed in 1997 after years of bloody civil war in their native West African nation had displaced them into the Kalia refugee camp, band members Ruben Koroma, his wife Grace, John Langba (aka Franco) and Idrissa Bangura (aka Mallam) teamed together to entertain and raise morale of fellow refugees.  Discovered by American filmmakers Zach Niles and Banker White, who were so inspired by their story that they followed them for three years as the group moved from camp to camp, they embarked on a mission to share much needed joy and faith with their fellow refugees.

After the war in Sierra Leone ended, the All Stars returned home and recorded the music in tin-roofed shacks in the ghettos of Freetown that would –with the aid of Niles’ and White’s resulting documentary Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars –introduce their incredible story to a world-wide audience.  They would go on to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show, contribute a song to the Blood Diamond film soundtrack, participate in the U2 tribute album In the Name of Love: Africa Celebrates U2, and earn praise and support from Sir Paul McCartney, Keith Richards, Ice Cube, and Angelina Jolie.

Today they travel the globe sharing their life-affirming story and captivating songs of unwavering hope, faith and joy with millions, spreading the ideals of goodwill and hope in the face of overwhelming disenchantment.  World music journalist and guitarist Banning Eyre remarked on NPR’s All Things Considered, “For a band born amid war and flight, Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars sure make happy music.  They’re a blend of old school West African party grooves, roots reggae, gospel and marching band brass who’s pretty much guaranteed to put a smile on your face.”

The Avalon Foundation is proud to present the Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars as the feature performers for this year’s 15th Annual Multicultural Festival.  In addition, there will be another special performance in the intimate Stoltz Listening Room that evening at 8:30pm, with doors at 8:00pm.  Tickets for that performance can be purchased online at www.avalonfoundation.org or by calling the box office at 410-822-7299.