Born and raised in Portobelo, Panama Raúl Orlando Jiménez Delgado was selected to play the role of Major Devil in the Congo tradition of Portobelo in 1982 when Carlos Chavarría took a sabbatical from the role to study abroad in Russia. Just as Celedonio Molinar brought the tradition of “Blessing the Devil” back to Portobelo and taught Raúl’s father, Andrés Jiménez, how to perform the symbolic role of priest in the tradition, he also mentored Raúl in how to perform the role of Major Devil. Raúl is also responsible for conceiving of and helping to initiate El Festival de Los Diablos y Congo, which is now on of Portobelo, Panama’s most popular biennial cultural events.

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Interview Details

Interviewee: Raúl Orlando Jiménez Delgado
Interviewer: Renee Alexander Craft
Secondary Interviewer: Arturo Lindsay
Date of Interview: June 3, 2000
Location of Interview: Sandra Eleta’s home in Portobelo, Panama
Interview Transcribed By: Gustavo Esquina
English Translation By: Oronike Odeleye, Arturo Lindsay
Audio Link: https://soundcloud.com/digitalportobelo/raul-orlando-jimenez_2001
Download the Transcript: English Transcript | Spanish Transcript