The next meeting will be on Thu 19 March at 7 pm at the Town Hall. Everybody interested in the Oxford Leon partnership is welcome to attend. Ask at reception to find out which of the many rooms we are assigned.
OLAT meeting March 2020
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Misa Campesina 2020
We can now confirm the date for this year’s Misa Campesina. It will be performed on
Sunday 29 March 11.30 am at Blackfriars (St. Giles),
Anybody who wants to join the choir or the very small orchestra is welcome! Please email Jenny Houston at jen_houston AT hotmail DOT com or 077 51 626 006.
There will be two rehearsals on the two Saturdays before the event, namely:
Saturday 21.3. 10:30-12:30, at the Quaker Meeting House, also in St. Giles
Saturday 28.3. 10:30-12:30 in the Aula at Blackfriars.
There will also be a short rehearsal to warm up just before the Misa from 10.30. The mass will be followed by a reception/refreshments in the Aula from 12.30 – 1.30.
The Mass, written in 1975 by by Carlos Mejía Godoy, incorporating a liberation theology and Nicaraguan folk music, will be sung in Spanish (but language proficiency is not needed). It has been sung annually in Oxford for many years (more than 30? we need a historian to investigate this!) in celebration of the link with Leon. It has has been praised for its ‘passionate lyrics and complex rhythms reflecting the richness of the Nicaraguan folk traditions’.
This was the warm-up before the Misa two years ago, when we had two musicians visiting from Nicaragua, Franklin and Luis.
New hope and new water
The Nuevas Esperanzas project to install a new water pump at San Pedro Nuevo, co-funded by the Oxford Leon Association and Trust, has finally come to fruition. On Dec 6th, after the electricity supply for the pump was connected, water started to flow. Here are some photos borrowed from the Nuevas Esperanzas Facebook page:
Quiz success
Our very well-attended and entertaining Quiz built around Oxford’s twin towns has raised £604 net. This money has now been sent to Nuevas Esperanzas for the bee keeping project, which helps poor small farmers in remote communities around León to diversify their income and also benefits the environment and is part of an agroecology project. There are five apiaries across four communities with a total of 68 hives and 48 beekeepers, producing 871kg of honey during the year.
A big thank you to all who supported the Quiz!
Below some photos of the quiz night:
AGM and visit from Nicaragua
The next meeting of the Oxford León Association and Trust will be on Thursday 7 November at 7.45 at The Town Hall. Please note this is a change of date from that previously advised. This is so that Gioconda from NECAT (Nicaragua Education, Culture and Arts Trust) can give us a brief talk after the AGM about her work for NECAT and life in León. We are starting at 7.45 as there is an event by Oxford International Links to promote the 8 Twinning Links of Oxford at the Town Hall 6pm – 8pm. Please come along to support us on our OLAT stall!
Quiz night
It’s Quiz time!
We’re planning an evening of fun to raise funds for the Oxford León Association & Trust
for development projects in and around Oxford’s twin city in Nicaragua. How much do you know about Oxford and its eight twin cities – three recently joined?
The Oxford International Links quiz will take place on
SATURDAY 5 OCTOBER, 7.30pm, at West Oxford Community Centre,
Botley Road OX2 0BT
Another date for your diaries:
The next meeting of OLAT is Tuesday 24 September, 7.30 at Town Hall, all welcome.
OXFORD LEON ASSOCIATION & TRUST | REGISTERED CHARITY NO. 294149
Find out more about our projects: http://www.oxleonlink.org.uk
Sponsored swim Friday 5.7.2019
This year’s sponsored swim, our main fundraiser for projects in Leon, is coming up on July 5th.
Register at tinyurl.com/Leonswim2019
for sponsorship visit justgiving.com/OxfordLeonAssociation
For further details see our lovely flyer:
You can download the PDF file here to print and spread the word:
OLAT Ox_Leon_Sponsored_Swim_Flyer2019_DIGITAL
Next meeting Tue 14.5.2019
The next OLAT meeting will be this Tuesday, 14.5., at 7pm in the Town Hall. We are going to discuss arrangements for the sponsored swim happening on July 5 and for a visit we’re hoping to get from NIcaragua later in the year.
April meeting
The next meeting of the Oxford León Association and Trust will be on Thursday April 4th, at 7pm at the Town Hall. Everybody who is interested in the partnership with León is welcome to attend. Ask for directions at the desk.
Looking ahead, this year’s Sponsored Swim – raising funds for clean drinking water projects in Nicaragua – will happen on Friday 5 July, from 4 pm at Hinksey Pool.
Misa Campesina 2019
We are very pleased that Blackfriars have once more agreed to host our performance of the Misa Campesina – the Nicaraguan Folk Mass. It will be celebrated on Sunday 17th March 2019 at 11.30 a.m.
The Mass, which will be sung in Spanish, has been sung annually in Oxford for many years. It has ‘passionate lyrics and complex rhythms reflecting the richness of the Nicaraguan folk traditions’.
There will be two rehearsals – on Saturday 9th March and Saturday 16th March between 10 and 11 a.m.in the Aula at Blackfriars as well as another short rehearsal at 10.45 on the 17th.
If you are interested in singing or playing your instrument in the Misa, please email Jenny Houston at jen_houston AT hotmail DOT com or 077 51 626 006.
Here’s a photo of the choir getting ready for last year’s Misa Campesina:
The next business meeting of the Oxford Leon Association will be held on Tuesday 29th January in Oxford Town Hall. If you’d like to receive the Agenda and even take part, please contact Jenny (details above).
Oxford León Association 