In March 2006 Fugees United, an integrated collective of rappers and musicians from around the world, started recording their debut album ‘The Message’. The completed work was launched as part of Refugee Week at Oran Mor in Glasgow’s West End.
Background
Fugees United is an anti-racist collective for young people, involving those from refugee and Scottish backgrounds. The collective challenge negative perceptions of refugees through their issue based music.
The project was initiated by five young refugees. Mohsen Saad was an unaccompanied minor who now has refugee status. He wants to use the skills he has to inform others about the reality of being a refugee and why people seek asylum.
The Event
Around 180 young refugees and Scottish people came to the album launch as well as representatives from the BBC’s The Music Show and BBC Radio’s Global Gathering.
Mohsen Saad made a speech to formally open the event, before the collective performed seven songs from the album. The three bands who make up the collective – Straight Up Soldiers, Black Panthers and Damage Squad – all performed individually before joining together for the finale as Fugees United.
Their website (www.fugeesunited.com) received over 1,000 hits on the first day the CD was launched.
