Aims and Objectives.

          AIMS AND OBJECTIVES/ The London Lucumi Choir Constitution

Who are we.

  1. We are a group of between 7 and  10 choir members  and 3 percussionists who are singers, musicians and artists who get together as a community to sing, learn and create new works around the Afro-Cuban Orisha song tradition in addition to other diasporic Orisha traditions and diverse Afro-Cuban song traditions.
  2. We are an inclusive and indigenous led group who have a great respect for Orisha tradition and wish to honour these traditions in an authentic and creative way. We also stand for Anti-Colonial practises and hope that we can transmit this through our work.
  3. We come from a place of love and respect for other indigenous traditions and we uphold the values of human rights for all across the globe.
  4. We are a semi professional group of a high standard. Professional Musicians and Amateurs working together.

What do we do?

  1. We are a project based group, who get together on a regular basis to learn material for performances, recordings and other projects.
  2. We love to to perform live and invite  the public to share the joy of singing and dancing to Afro-Cuban rhythms.
  3. We provide a certain amount of  historical and cultural and contextual  education regarding the background of the songs to the members of the choir, to the public and also from time to time within an education context.
  4. We encourage the idea that singing unites us and uplifts as as a small group and to the larger community.
  5. We ensure that those teaching or accompanying the choir or on behalf of the choir in circumstances where young people or vulnerable adults are concerned have CRB checks and to put into practise the Child Protection Policy.
  6. We ensure extra workshops in conjunction with regular rehearsals in order to further understand rhythm, co-ordination, stage presence and so on.
  7. We are open to collaborations and and cross cultural work with artists from other Orisha traditions.
  8. We are open to collaborations with artists from other mediums.

https://londonlucumichoir.me/category/collaborations/

RUNNING THE CHOIR

  1. Choir is led by Musical Director and Iyalorisha of Oshun  Daniela De Armas.
  2. Choir members are encouraged to submit ideas using their individual skills and volunteer when they can.
  3. The choir will runs as a non- profit organisation, all profits will be re-invested in the choir’s activities and projects.
  4. The choir depends on voluntary attendance of it’s members. Payment per gig depends on individual budget and possible funding opportunities.
  5. We guarantee the attendance of the musicians, who are professional they will be paid per gig, to be confirmed per gig.
  6. To have bi yearly meetings where progress and workings of the choir is discussed. Changes  to be decided by all members.

CONTENTS AND ACTIVITIES

  1. We meet bi monthly to rehearse led by Musical Director and Arranger Daniela De Armas and occasional workshops with other experts.
  2. We learn songs for Orisha, collated and collected by Daniela De Armas.
  3. We learn harmonies but also how the songs relate to the drum patterns.
  4. We learn basic background information about each song.
  5. We learn basic dance steps to accompany songs, in order to improve confidence, co-ordination and rhythm.
  6. We learn the importance of rhythm in Afro-Cuban music by involving percussionists to accompany the rehearsals, workshops and performances.
  7. We organise choir trips to see other choirs in action, giving members the opportunity to see similarities and differences of vocal traditions, to encourage and inform of any other musical opportunity useful for choir members.
  8. We provide opportunities and projects to work towards, whether it be recordings or performances.

Expectations

  1. Because of the nature of the Lucumi Dialect, it is impossible to give simple interpretations to the songs. If possible there will be some information, but it is not always possible.
  2. This is a cultural expression of a living tradition. The spiritual path is not normally discussed in the context of the choir rehearsals, although of course there is some overlap.
  3. The choir is led by an Olorisha ( Priest)  with many years of walking the spiritual path, but there is no expectation to follow the path of Orisha and boundaries between culture and spirituality are adhered to.
  4. We learn by ear. There is no written music. Lyrics are provided. Most of the sequences we sing have been recorded by us or others.

RECRUITMENT

  1. Open workshops
  2. Potential membership courses
  3. Performances
  4. Publicity: leafleting, Demo/ Recording and Websites and Networking Sites
  5. The Choir is open to new members. There is currently an audition process, due to the fact that most members have been participants for many years and the standard is high.

NB, In addition, there are no restrictions based on race, gender, age or religious and spiritual practise. This is a cultural group that pay homage to a spiritual tradition that has it’s roots in West Africa via Cuba. It is important that there is respect for the Orisha tradition, although it is not necessary to be a practitioner. This version of the original constitution which was drawn up by members of the committee 17th March 2007, and then was further updated in February 2009 and then again in January 2010, at the open annual general meeting. This has been further updated on the 10th March 2024, after many changes over the years.

NEW MEMBERS INFORMATION:

REHEARSALS:  Currently we are now rehearsing two Sundays a month for two  hours. If we have gigs, there may be other rehearsals. Four yearly extended rehearsals.

 WHAT YOU WILL LEARN: what you will learn are songs to the Orisha as sung in Cuba, but also other Afro Cuban genres, for example social songs ( RUMBA, MAKUTA, TUMBA FRANCESA) songs from the ARARA tradition ( Spiritual song with roots in Benin) and PALO ( with roots in Congo) also some songs from the spiritualist tradition. You will learn harmonic arrangements by ear.

TEAM:  I ( Daniela De Armas) direct and teach most songs. I am initiated as a Priestess of Oshun, having walked this path for coming up to 40 years and I have a lifetime of experience as a musician playing and singing all types of Cuban Music. We have a wealth of fantastic percussionists and experts that come in from time to time also. We work sometimes with story tellers and visual artists and dancers and we love to collaborate with like minded artists.

FEE: Members do not pay a fee, but are required to offer time and skills in exchange when possible. Open courses are sometimes offered to non members and there is a fee.

RUNNING THE CHOIR:

We collectively make decisions.

YOUR CHOIR:

This is YOUR CHOIR. I cannot do a choir on my own! Any ideas welcome, sharing information on your page, and blogs is also really welcome. Please join and follow the Choir Blog and website, and let people know about it. 

https://linktr.ee/orishasongandmore

If you look at the menu on the right, there are many articles and background information. You may be interested in the historical background of the Lucumi faith, the setting up of the Choir, members stories, our project time line, it’s all on the Blog! Have a look also for more information on what we do: http://londonlucumichoir.me/?s=what+happens+in+the+london+lucumi+choir

 Punctuality and attendance:

It is advised that if you wish to take part in projects such as Gigs and recordings that there is a commitment to rehearsing.  Attendance should be communicated in advance and if there is illness on the day or you are going to be late, please communicate in advance

This is a choir for all, but if you are interested in the spiritual path please go to

http://www.oshunschild.com