In this excerpt, Maestro Andrés discusses his participation in the tradition and the negative ways in which some members his parents’ generation, newer community members, and outsiders sometimes viewed the Congo tradition in the early twentieth century prior to the advent of “the road.”
In this excerpt, Chavarría discusses his mentor Celedonio Molinar’s lasting legacy to the town and to the Congo tradition, including a charge to embrace the tradition with pride and joy.
In this excerpt, Molinar discusses how he learned the role of Major Devil and the tradition of “Blessing the Devil” from a Portobelo native named Viudo Ceballos who had moved to Nombre de Dios. He also describes the way the devil tradition was practiced in Portobelo when he arrived there in 1945.
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.
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 the devil character is played.
In this excerpt, Esquina discusses the changes she has seen in the Congo tradition over the course of her lifetime. Specifically, she talks about the role that a character named “Mama Guardia” once played.
In this excerpt, Esquina discusses the changes she has seen in the Congo tradition over the course of her lifetime. Specifically, she talks about the role that Pajarito, the Little Bird, once played in the Congo game, and the ways in which the character and the game have shifted. The construction of the road signaled the end of the game as one between neighboring Congo Kingdoms who competed to capture each others’ palacio/palenque. The contemporary game is between the discrete Congo communities and the character of the devil.
In this excerpt, Esquina discusses the changes she has seen in the Congo tradition over the course of her lifetime. Specifically, she talks about the role that the princess character once played.
In this excerpt, Esquina shares one of her fondest childhood memories, the one and only time that her mother danced in the Congo tradition.
In this excerpt, Esquina discusses the changes she has seen in the Congo tradition over the course of her lifetime. Specifically, she talks about the ways in which the king’s role has diminished since her father once played it.