Supported by charities Music Action International (MAI) and Freedom from Torture North West (FfT), Stone Flowers, a group of refugees and asylum seeker torture survivors, were first brought together in response to the Musician Union’s campaign against the use of music as a form of torture in military detention camps.
Since 2011, music has been key to the recovery of the torture survivors involved in Stone Flowers. In the summer of 2014 they ran a successful crowdfunding campaign, raising over £9000 to realise their dream of recording an album that brings together their diverse musical backgrounds and personal experiences. Produced with the help of Sam Jones – whose credentials include working with Alex Turner from Arctic Monkeys, Grammy award winner Corinne Bailey Rae, and MOBO music prize award winner Soweto Kinch – the album is a beautiful, uplifting and moving piece of work, that communicates the voices and stories of the Stone Flowers members.
Through Stone Flowers, the survivors have been empowered to write and perform their own songs and take ownership of the creative process, with all participants contributing musical ideas, lyrics and melodies, leading the songs and playing instruments. Each member brings a different musical tradition to the group, with songs performed in Tamil, Farsi, Kikongo, Lingala, Arabic, French and English; blending traditional and modern instruments with musical influences ranging from Tamil folk to Congolese Soukous.
Watch a short film about Stone Flowers by BBC Director James Sandy.
The album launch event is taking place tomorrow at the Amnesty International HQ in London. Tickets are FREE but donations are very welcome.
The album Ngunda (Refuge) will be available for purchase as a download or CD from 5th June 2015 from musicaction.org.
