Carnival
2024 – 40 Years of LSS: Back to the Roots
London School of Samba at Notting Hill Carnival
Notting Hill Carnival 2024
“De Volta às Origens” (Back to the Roots)
For our 40th Anniversary, provided a spectacular parade for Notting Hill Carnival, on the theme “De Volta às Origens” (Back to the Roots) exploring the cultural diaspora of Africa to Brazil, recognising and celebrating the origins of Samba. We were joined by a key founder of the school - Bosco De Oliveira.
What does Samba mean to you?
A genre? Dance? Culture? Way of life? To each of us, a singular meaning. However, all of our samba relates to one specific factor, or rather, someone: Tia Ciata, daughter of Oxum, guardian of Samba. Her terreiro, a haven for Afro-Brazilian culture, where people, music and food would fuse and form a stronghold for Samba as we all know and love. Much like her terreiro, our beloved London School of Samba, the pioneer and godmother of Samba in the United Kingdom represents resistance, from its creation to its long history over four decades, bringing together people from all different walks of life, where many found a new home. Let us celebrate US! Our history, our community, our family! Axé!
A brief backstory
Tia Ciata settled in the heart of Rio de Janeiro in the late 1800s in Praça Onze, becoming a prominent figure as the first Baiana in Rio. She would host non-stop celebrations that would last for days, with Candomblé ceremonies, batucadas, rodas de samba, partido alto and samba de raiz, bringing together not only the Afro-Brazilian community, but an array of different ethnic, cultural and religious groups. This encounter and diversity created an environment where Samba could blossom.
40 years ago, in 1984, Samba arrives in London. LSS is born during turbulent times of social and political unrest, with South Africans seeking exile from fascism and apartheid and South Americans fleeing dictatorships across the continent. Alan Hayman, Steve Kitson, Pato and Carlos Fuentes and Bosco de Oliveira, who all met in London to found LSS, are an example of the diversity and globality of Samba. As sambista Noel Rosa once sang: “Samba, in reality, doesn’t come from the hills or the city, and those who can stand a passion, will feel that samba, comes from the heart”.
Yes, Samba is universal and embracing, experienced and lived by all; but it’s essential we recognise and celebrate its ancestry in Afro-Brazilian culture, being traced back to Semba rhythms, from Candomblé of Angola. In Samba schools, drumming can be traced back to rhythms of Candomblé, like Mocidade’s and LSS’s Caixa pattern, inspired by Ageré, a call to Oxóssi.
Like in Tia Ciata’s terreiro, we will dance, sing, and drum to the Orixás, for them to direct their Axé onto us, while celebrating the beautiful history of our community, London School of Samba. In a year where we reconnect to our Roots, we will celebrate, and rejoice with the origins of Samba and our School, by dedicating alas to the Orixás and the pioneering role of LSS in the history of our culture.
We need to know where we came from, to know where we’re headed.
Back to the Roots!!
International Presence
This year we were blessed with the presence of many international and national Baterias. A huge thank you to them for travelling and celebrating the roots of Samba with us
News Coverage of London School of Samba at the Carnival
40 anos de história-de volta às raízes
By Bosco de Oliveira
Portuguese
Oh abram alas
Que chegou a pioneira
Do samba na inglaterra
É a estação primeira
Nascida de um sonho
De justiça e resistência
De pato, alan hayman
De bosco de oliveira
Unidos
Quarenta anos de luta pela igualdade
Mostrando que o samba não tem idade
Desde seu começo
Com emoção e sem tropeço
Pulsando o coração com liberdade
Refrão do meio 2x
Eu sou d’angola
Batuque de semba, sou jongo
Tambores do congo, sou raça
Enfrento a desgraça a sorrir
Eu sou da ginga, da roda de capoeira
Sambando a vida inteira
Espero contente o meu porvir
2a
Nas batucadas, no terreiro de tia ciata
Juntando o povo dos enquices
E o povo dos orixás
Oxum é dandalunda
Pelo amor e pela paz
Os ilús e as ingomas repicando
Os toque de além mar
A força dos ventos é que me conduz
De volta no tempo
Àquele momento de luz
Que o verde e branco
Da madrinha mocidade
Pintou o carnaval
E alegrou esta cidade
Oh oh
Refrão de cima
Oh oh oxum
Axé da natureza
Unidos vem saudar
Na crença e na beleza
Oh oh oh zaze
Espírito ancestral
Energia do meu carnaval
English
Oh open the path
The pioneer of samba
In england has arrived
It is the first station
Born out of a dream
Of justice and resistance
From pato, alan hayman
And de bosco de oliveira
Unidos
Fourty years of struggle for equality
Showing samba has no age
Since the beginning
With emotion and no hitches
Pulsating our hearts freely
Middle chorus 2x
I am from angola
Batuque de semba, i am jongo
Drums of the congo, i am race
I face misfortune with a smile
I am from the ginga, the roda de capoeira
Dancing and singing my whole life
I happily await for my future
2
In the batucadas
At tia ciata’s terreiro
Uniting the people of the enquices
And the people of the orixás
Oxum is dandalunda
In the name of love and peace
The ilús and ingomas riffing
The beats from further seas
The power of the winds
Take me back in time
To that moment of light
When the green and white
Of our godmother mocidade
Painted our carnival
And made our city happy
Oh oh
Main chorus
Oh oh oxum
Axé of nature
Unidos comes to salute
In belief and beauty
Oh oh oh zaze
Ancestral spirit
Carnival Manager
Deputy Carnival Managers
Danny Birchall
Stacey Fawcett
Mestre Mags
Artistic Direction Management
Charlotte Cappio
Bateria Directors
Phil Niklowitz
Kitty Brown
Daniel Souza Bittar
Murray Anderson
Erik Wennerberg
Stacey Fawcett
Eoin Travers
Ala Musical
Chris Mullins-Silverstein – Puxador
Vic Choudhuri – Cavaco
Gustavo Deorriste – Cavaco
Dance Leads / Teachers
Charlotte Cappio
Elodie Garceau
Leyra Fernadez-Diaz
Martin Pokorny
Iuli Caroline
Adriano Oliveira
Choreography
Orquidea Lima – Ala das Passistas
George Louzada – Ala das Passistas
Iuli Caroline – Comissão de Frente
Adriano Oliveira – Ala Afro
Gladys Cavalcante – Ala Das Baianas
Amanda Siqueira – Ala Minha Estrela Guia
Marta Scott – Ala Olodum
Royal Family
Davina Greeves – 1st Porta-Bandeira
Marcelo Oliveira – 1st Mestre-Sala
Hannah Bailes – 2nd Porta-Bandeira
Ash Gelly – 2nd Mestre-Sala
Jiyeon Yeom – Rainha da Bateria
Martin Pokorny – Rei da Folia
Glow Crawford – Madrinha
Costumes
Diane Artis
Phoebe Sewell
Kitty Brown
Fee Turuka – Ala Das Baianas
Charlotte Cappio – Ala Das Baianas
Iuli Caroline – Comissão de Frente
Rubens Dias
Art work
T-Shirt Design
See the winning T-shirt designed by Grace & Frankie on our 40th Anniversary page
