In this excerpt, Chavarría discusses his particular style of “Devil” embodiment within the Congo tradition and the way others perceive of his performance. He also talks about the respect devils from outside of the community give to the devil of the town they are visiting. Each visiting devil must submit to the rules of the game as practiced by the local community.
In this excerpt, Chavarría talks about his choice to play the devil role in the Congo tradition and shares his memories of how he came to play the role for the first time as a school-aged boy.
In this excerpt, Solís discusses studying the dance of the devil in 1994 under the tutelage of Celedonio Molinar, legionary Major Devil of Portobelo, Panama and receiving permission from the Congo King and Queen to dress and dance as a devil in 1995.
In this excerpt, Solís discusses the one-person performance that she created through her theater company to celebrate Celedonio and the Major Devil tradition of Portobelo, Panama.
In this excerpt, Chavarría discusses how he imagines retiring as Major Devil.
In this excerpt, Chavarría shares a story about what happened when the Major Devil played the starring role in the Passion of Christ.
In this excerpt, Molinar discusses a few of the changes that he has witnessed in the devil character’s embodiment within the tradition that displease him and responds to Arturo Lindsay’s question regarding the escalating violence he has witnessed with the way some younger practitioners wield their whips.
In this excerpt, Molinar discusses the current existence of three people who play the role of Major Devil in the Congo tradition even though the official narrative about the tradition only signifies one Major Devil character playing at any one time.
In this excerpt, Solís discusses the ritual process that Celedonio used to prepared to “transform” into the Major Devil character.
In this excerpt, Solís discusses the relationship between the economy and the increasingly violent ways in which younger generations of devils within Congo traditions of Panama embody the character.