In 1998, Saa Andrew Gbongbor was forced out of his village in Sierra Leone, West Africa because of diamond-fueled civil war. He moved to a crowded refugee camp in Gambia, where he slept on a tarp and survived on cornmeal. It was here at the age of 15 that he began singing the reggae songs that he heard around him as a means of survival. He, his father, step mother, and siblings later made it to Canada thanks to the UN. Now based in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Saa has studied at St. Thomas University, and has continued with his dancehall reggae music career. He has released 2 independent cds: Butunneh Banda, 2004 and On Da Radio, 2009 and plays throughout the Maritimes. Saa Andrew has never forgotten his roots and crusades for human rights, social justice and peace wherever he performs his soulful music He possesses a powerful voice which can be playful and melodious in spite of his serious message, a rare and engaging gift.
