Moko Jumbies: The Dancing Spirits of Trinidad

Description

Seventeen years ago, Glen 'Dragon' De Souza founded the Keylemanjahro School of Arts and Culture on the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean. The school's mission was to revive the almost-forgotten West African tradition of the Moko Jumbie, or stilt walker, and adopt it into the annual Carnival celebration. Not only would it restore a centuries-old tribal custom that had been squashed by colonialism and slavery, but De Souza dreamed it would also keep underpriviledged children from street-life and drugs. Today, more than one hundred Moko Jumbies - boys and girls from the age of four years old - practice at the Keylemanjahro School. Internationally recognised photographer Stefan Falke spent six years documenting these "dancing spirits" of Trinidad. With rare power, he captures the vivid costumes and haunting beauty of the Moko Jumbie dances in over 200 dazzling colour photographs. Moko Jumbies: The Dancing Spirits of Trinidad celebrates the success of this spectacular movement that has not only enriched the lives of its participants and all the people who live in and visit Trinidad, but also the enduring culture of the island itself.

Stefan Falke, who was born in Germany in 1956, abandoned his studies in civil engineering to follow a passion for documentary photography.