Toro Mata (Chicago Children's Choir)

From our Black History Month concert: Remembering, Reclaiming Reconnecting "Toro Mata," performed by Chicago Children's Choir. Traditional Afro-Peruvian song inspired by arrangements by Perú, Negro and Caitro Soto. Vocal arrangement by Lonnie Norwood Jr., choreography by Farlanda Buchannon including soloists Vikram Konkimalla, Victoria Palomares and Amina Gorman.
Bullfighting was a very popular form of entertainment throughout Perú. In this instance, the Africans crafted together a coded song in which the bull represents the Spanish conquistadors who enslaved the Africans in Peru. The bull (toro) is targeting the person wearing the red cap, not because of the cape, but because the person is black/African (negro). This song has discreetly placed undertones of protest against oppression in the same manner as African American spirituals and shout like "Run, Mona, Runa," "Juba" and "Wade in the Water."