Libation

A libation is a ritual pouring of a liquid as an offering to a god or spirit or in memory of those who have died. It was common in many religions of antiquity and continues to be offered in various cultures today.

Various substances have been used for libations, most commonly wine or olive oil, and in India, ghee. The vessels used in the ritual, including the patera, often had a significant form which differentiated them from secular vessels. The libation could be poured onto something of religious significance, such as an altar, or into the earth.

In East Asia, pouring an offering of rice into a running stream, symbolises the unattachment from karma and bad energy.

Religious practice

Historical

Ancient Egypt

Libation was part of ancient Egyptian society where it was a drink offering to honor and please the various divinities, sacred ancestors, humans present and not present, as well as the environment. It is suggested that libation originated somewhere in the upper Nile Valley and spread out to other regions of Africa and the world. According to Ayi Kwei Armah, “[t]his legend explains the rise of a propitiatory custom found everywhere on the African continent: libation, the pouring of alcohol or other drinks as offerings to ancestors and divinities.”

Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars

Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars (also called Refugee All Stars) is a band from Sierra Leone which was formed by a group of refugees displaced to Guinea during the Sierra Leone Civil War. Since their return to Freetown in 2004, the band has toured extensively to raise awareness for humanitarian causes. Their story is documented in the 2005 documentary film Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars.

Their debut album, Living Like a Refugee, was released in Europe on 25 September 2006 and in the US on 26 September 2006.

Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars' second studio album, Rise & Shine, was released 23 March 2010 by Cumbancha. The disc was produced by Steve Berlin of Los Lobos. The album was recorded at Piety Street Studio in New Orleans with local musicians Trombone Shorty, Washboard Chaz and Bonerama all guesting on the album.

The band's third studio album, Radio Salone, was released on 24 April 2012 by Cumbancha. The album was produced by roots reggae, soul and Afrobeat artist Victor Axelrod, aka Ticklah and recorded at Dunham Studios in Brooklyn, NY.