STROM & WASSER

This project is truly one of a kind: During the spring of 2011 Heinz Ratz and his band Strom und Wasser visited almost 80 refugee camps throughout Germany. Appalled by the refugees? hopeless situation, by a jurisdiction seemingly at odds with democratic principles and human rights, by the intellectual stasis forced upon the refugees, by paternalism, by unacceptable sanitary conditions and insufficient medical attention, Heinz Ratz and his band looked for a way to turn all of that misery into something beautiful after all. Among the hundreds of refugees they met inside the camps were also numerous musicians, some of them of world-class calibre and famous artists in their home countries. As refugees, these musicians are not permitted to travel or to work, oftentimes they cannot even afford an instrument and are forced into a life of silence and inadequacy. Ratz invited these musicians to Hamburg and recorded their music. The result is a strikingly modern, fresh and bold record featuring almost 30 musicians from Gambia, Iran, Afghanistan, Kenia, Russia, Ivory Coast, Germany, Kosovo, Somalia, Ethopia, Macedonia, Greece and many other nations. Music that was caught inside the refugee camps, at risk of being unheard and forgotten.
With this project this music will now hopefully find its way into the hearts of many people: Strom & Wasser featuring The Refugees.