Sy'Rai

In early 2000, Abdul “Sy’rai” Yilla fled Sierra Leone with his siblings, to avoid the atrocities of a civil war that was notorious for recruiting child soldiers, and displacing over a third of the country’s population. He settled in Victoria, B.C, became a Canadian citizen, and eventually embarked on a music career. Sadly, Sy’rai could not return to his homeland for many years, and was devastated to learn that his father passed away suddenly in Freetown in 2002. This was the catalyst to Sy’rai’s commitment to one day get home and reconnect with his family and community. That visit finally happened this summer, when Sy’rai not only visited his father’s grave, but also contributed, along with his record company Street Quality Records, to building a youth based War Child project with A.U.C.A.Y.D. This group of young people use music, drama and dance to reach thousands of youth who have experienced the devastation of violence and war. His latest single “Let It Rain” (to be released on War Child: 10 on Dec. 1st 2009) was inspired by this visit. A song about recovery and rebuilding after devastation, the song was written by Sy’rai and features various members of the A.U.C.A.Y.D. group.