Awakateko worship leaders and musicians attended a two-day ethnomusicology seminar this past weekend, sponsored by Viña Studios.
José Abel, Viña’s creative director, led the seminar, joined by Viña volunteer and musician, Sarah Agee, and Jose’s youngest son, who provided me with some photos. I talked with Sarah this morning, and she filled me in on the event.
About 30 men and boys attended the seminar, joined by former Viña technician Manuel Chavez and pastors and church leaders. The musicians brought their instruments, and during the seminar they wrote 11 original worship songs, based on Peter and John’s healing of the paralytic in Acts 3 and on the Prodigal Son from Luke 15.
The seminar covered song-writing principles, encouraging Awakatek believers to write original songs using their own musical style, not copying or translating existing worship songs. The seminar ran about eight hours on Friday and four hours on Saturday.
A council of Aguacatán* churches there offers Bible training, and the council saw the need to offer musical training for its worship leaders as well. Viña encourages Mayans across Guatemala and Garifunas on the Caribbean coast to write original worship songs in their own languages because these songs come from the heart and help people worship God more intimately.
At this seminar, the Awakatako men wrote just one song in their language because except for one or two of them, they don’t know how to write in their own language. The rest, they wrote in Spanish, the national language.
“I thought it was really cool how (José) empowered them,” Sarah said, noting the José allowed the group to craft their own songs, not forcing his ideas on them. “They were super enthusiastic.”
* Note: Aguacatán is the town's official spelling, although the new orthography adopted by the Mayan Academy uses a "w" for the "gu" and a "k" for the "c."
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