Panda Radio
Panda Radio
Merle Wynter
The moko jumbies derived from West Africa has been apart of a Virgin Islands heritage for 200 years
35 minutes Posted Apr 7, 2021 at 5:50 pm.
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In many parts of the Caribbean, moko jumbies survive primarily as part of folklore presentations and tourist shows. Beyond Trinidad, they currently have a strong presence in the Virgin Islands, with Willard John of St Croix as a missionary in their cause for forty years. John runs the Guardians of Culture moko jumbies, who appear weekly at local hotels, and made a 2009 documentary called Mokolution tracing the roots of the tradition in the Virgin Islands. John notes a long tradition of male jumbies dressing in skirts with petticoats or bloomers, which changed in the 1960s when teacher Ali Paul moved to welcome women as jumbies, leading to costumes in other styles. John continues to work with schools to get more young people to take up the art, exploring ever more adventurous choreography.