5 Jumbies of Jouvay
The 5 Jumbies of Jouvay series draws on the rich history of Caribbean Carnival traditions, rooted in both celebration and resistance. This body of work highlights the historical and cultural intersections of Caribbean festivity and the struggles associated with colonization and loss. Each character in the series represents one of the Five Jumbies of Jouvay, drawing inspiration from the Bakongo Cosmogram to explore the cyclical stages of life and grief.
Positioned along the phases of the sun—moving anticlockwise, like traditional Jouvay parade routes—the jumbies’ appearance evolves to reflect life’s transitions, from birth and maturity to death and ancestral influence. Each jumbie embodies a stage of grief, creating a dialogue between community, resilience, and transformation. As they come alive in paintings and sculptures, the Jumbies invite viewers to reflect on personal and communal journeys through loss and renewal, questioning how we grow and endure in challenging times
Community as a Training Ground
The "5 Jumbies of Jouvay" is used to explore the intricate layers of community through single Carnival characters. Represented by the 5 Mokos of Jouvay and 5 Dragons of Jouvay, each figure embodies aspects of communal influence that are essential for personal transformation.
These characters inhabit a symbolic training ground, a space where emotions are tested and where growth is nurtured, echoing the dynamic and often tangled nature of community ties.
In this space, the Jumbies coexist as our emotions do, overlapping and interacting in ways that may be difficult to recognize or separate. The project encourages viewers to reflect on how these emotional exchanges within community impact their journey.
What role does your community play in your personal transformation?
How does your environment shape your growth?
These questions invite explorations into the ways in which support, friction, and collective energy shape personal development.
