WOMAD

Creole Choir of Cuba

From Cuba

Vibrant dancing and spectacular harmonies and undiscovered music of the Caribbean performed by a vocal and percussion ensemble little known outside of Cuba. The Creole Choir of Cuba have preserved musical treasures from Haiti, Dominica and Cuba within their rich descendant communities in Cuba.

Referred to as "Desandann" domestically, the group is composed from the descendants of several waves of Haitian migrants who escaped slavery at the end of the 18th Century or more recently came as labourers to work Cuba's sugar plantations.

Between 1795 and 1805 30,000 Haitians emigrated to eastern Cuba with another wave occurring from 1920-1940 and yet another in the 1980s. Today, estimates of the Haitian population in Cuba range from 300,000 on up to 1 million. Each wave of immigrants had its own distinct characteristics and brought with them the strong musical and dance traditions, their religion, customs, rituals and cultural habits on their journey from Haiti to Cuba.

With information gathered from generations of Haitian immigrants, The Creole choir of Cuba promotes and performs music of Haitian origin, especially "La Cancionistica", music which has been enriched by elements of other Creole speaking Caribbean countries.

Their repertoire consists of a wide range of choral arrangements with percussion accompaniment including Choucoune, a Haitian merengue, Gran Toumobile a Creole Mazurka, and Doudou Moin, a Martinique merengue.

(Biography supplied by artist management
Photography: Sven Creutzmann)