We know it as the Jankunu Dance but it's also called the Wanaragua which is performed around the Christmas Time. So today when some Jankunu dancers were performing around the city we captured some of their moves:
Interviewee
"This dance is usually perform around the Christmas time especially like now and they have two different costumes like you can see him dress in pink and green ribbons, full white. This is because he is in the festive mood and then they have the black and white which signifies that you are mourning the 2010 - 2011."
Andrea Polanco
"So tell me what's the mood usually like when you go out and perform Jankunu?"
Interviewee
"Well it's a good mood, you feel so good when you have to go house to house because in a way you are lifting up the spirits of the ancestors and even the one who are alive as you can see they have three drums; the big, small and medium size which signifies the past, the present and the future."
Andrea Polanco
"So this is like what the Creole would call a bramming?"
Interviewee
"Yeah, I would say that."
Andrea Polanco
"Today you are performing the Jankunu. Tell me what it is like for you as a performer?"
Performer
"It's very exciting and especially to be brought up in a rich culture like the Garifuna, the Garinagu culture it's very exciting and I enjoy it because it's something that I've been wanting to do from ever since I was a little boy and growing watching all the elders. Some of them has pass away already but you know may they rest in peace. As you know this is the news generation and we are trying to just keep the culture alive."
"The mood it's just been an ongoing hype, a hype mood because we are always ready to go out there and do our thing and let everybody know what this is all about and this is very unique and its very special to us."
The group has been travelling to different parts of the country to perform the Jankunu dance for this Christmas season. Traditionally, the dance starts 25th of December and ends on January 6th.
