In this excerpt, Molinar shares his experience of being symbolically blessed or “baptized” as the Major Devil character. Just as the “pujido” or “grunt” helps to amplify internal energy, the process of being symbolically baptized helps to abate energy.
In this excerpt, Molinar discusses the practice of symbolically selling the devil at the conclusion of the Congo game and his interpretation of what the devil character represents within the Congo tradition.
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 short excerpt, Molinar laments some of the escalating violence that he witnessed in the early 21st century.
In this excerpt, Jiménez discusses how he began to play the devil character in the Congo tradition.
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.