Word: fisherisms
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...Fisher's politics, and guidance, appeal to all the young men who go to Body Guard. None were left untouched by the civil war and all appreciate the studio as an outlet. During the fighting, says Fisher, "all the progress young people should have been making they couldn't because nothing was working...
...Shine Da God Son, one of Fisher's protégés, was one such young person. When Fisher met Shine (real name Abdul Malakhi Kamara), he wanted to be a musician, but also a gangster. He had lost his father during the war, and was hanging out with a bad crowd who settled their problems with violence. "You can't work with me with that kind of attitude," Fisher told him. Shine cleaned up his act and has since produced three albums with several hit songs - including one called "No More Beatin', No More Dissin'" - and is working...
Shine talks too quickly, as if he's the only person in West Africa who is in a hurry. He wants to be famous - but he also wants more. He wants to see Sierra Leone move toward peace and development. Fisher believes the path to reconciliation is for young men like Shine to lay down their weapons and pick up microphones. "Even [during the war] the rebels put down their guns when the music came on," he says. "The military and the rebels danced together, and when they're dancing, they don't have to fight...
...Fisher says Sierra Leoneans need to forgive each other and hold the people who caused the most harm accountable. Many of the songs that come out of the two small rooms at Body Guard Studio are about corruption and greedy politicians - some of the biggest obstacles to true development. In Freetown, there are signs of progress. The city has a relatively functional municipal electricity grid, cheap and easy public transportation, and a budding democratic government. But, as the song "One Love" recognizes, Sierra Leone still has a long way to go before the animosity that enabled war to sweep over...
...After the group at Body Guard is done mixing "One Love," Fisher plays some old hits over the sound system. When the popular song "Arrata and Squirrel," which compares politicians to vermin, starts pumping out of the speakers, the power goes out. The music stops and everything is dark. But Shine and the others keep singing...