In this excerpt, Esquina discusses the differences between the costumes of the Congo community of Portobelo and other Congo communities in Panama.
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Simona Esquina Memory of Father as Congo King
In this excerpt, Esquina recounts watching her father, Vicente Esquina, get dressed as the Congo King and accompanying him to the palenque/palacio to play Congo. Memories of her father’s participation as king mark some of Esquina’s earliest recollections of the tradition.
Simona Esquina Presentations about Congo
In this brief excerpt, Esquina discusses occasions on which the community offers presentations of Congo performance locally as well as abroad and her perception of their response to the tradition.
Celedonio Molinar Escalating Violence
In this short excerpt, Molinar laments some of the escalating violence that he witnessed in the early 21st century.
Simona Esquina Significance of Congo Game and Dance
In this brief excerpt, Esquina discusses the significance of the Congo game and Congo dance including how prominently performing as a primary singer has figured into her life.
Raul Orlando Jimenez Delgado Beginning to Play Devil
In this excerpt, Jiménez discusses how he began to play the devil character in the Congo tradition.
Simona Esquina Pride for Congo Tradition
In this excerpt, Esquina discusses her pride for the Congo tradition and its importance to the towns of Panama’s upper coast.
Raul Orlando Jimenez Delgado Being Selected as Major Devil
In this excerpt, Jiménez discusses his interpretation of how one is selected to play the role of Major Devil in the Congo tradition of Portobelo, Panama.
Simona Esquina Razor Blades in Devil Whips
In this excerpt, Esquina discusses the changes she has seen in the Congo tradition over the course of her lifetime. Specifically, she talks about changes that she has witnessed in ways in which younger practitioners who perform the role of devil in other communities sometimes put razor blades in their whips, which violates the nature of the game.
Simona Esquina Beginning of Congo Season
In this brief excerpt, Esquina describes the ways in which Congo season begins in Panama on the feast day of San Sebastian with the raising of the Congo flag.