Sheffield nurse who came to the city as a Liberian refugee hopes to 'empower migrants'

Mum-of-four, Rose Bazzie, has been living in Sheffield for 16 years but is originally from Liberia, West Africa.

When the 42-year-old isn’t working at Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital as a nurse, or looking after her children, she likes to sing.

Rose said: “I want to empower migrants out there. With determination, one can touch the sky. We have more to give to society so we must provide our skills, talents and styles.

On August 17 last year, she released her own album, A Grateful Heart.

It was an album of songs in which she expressed her gratitude to the people of Sheffield for the warm welcome they gave her.

Rose explained: “There are some powerful lyrics on being grateful for being alive, celebrating new days and achievements, being thankful for the city, the community and the country who opened their doors to us.

Describing her style as ‘hot Afrobeat gospel music’, Rose explained how the lyrics have significant and personal meaning.

She believes that being accepted as a refugee in Sheffield was a more comfortable experience because of the ‘friendliness of the people in Sheffield’ so she wanted to give something back to those people.

She believes singing brings her peace and comfort - something that has helped her through the tough times in her life.

Music has always inspired Rose from a young age.

She said: “My mother and her siblings were always singing in the home and church when I was young. I was always allowed to sing with them so I developed a passion for it.

“I also realised during the war in Liberia, which took me to Guinea, I could only feel at ease when I was in the midst of singers and singing.

“Music has no barriers. I have sung with people from different places and in languages that I don’t even understand but it still brought me joy.”

Alongside her husband Akoi Bazzie, Rose was one of the first refugees accepted onto the Home Office Gateway Protection programme.

The government arrangement allowed the couple to leave their refugee camp in Conakry, Guinea, where they had already fled to as a result of the Liberian war, and helped them to rebuild their lives in Sheffield.

From Rose’s first public performance at school, to singing in church choirs with Akoi, she has built up her reputation as a singer.

She started ZEELA singing drama group in 2005 and received a ‘community champion’ award from South Yorkshire’s community foundation a year later.

She has also delivered singing lessons to schools in Sheffield.

With the encouragement of her husband and children in the UK, as well as her family and friends in Liberia, creating her own album has given her inspiration to produce more in the future.

She said: “Now that I have started, I would love to do more as soon as possible.”

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