11/22/2025
A group of friends practicing their Jankunu performance, Belize, 2025
Jankunu is a Garifuna Christmas tradition where masked dancers move through the streets to drum rhythms, performing fast footwork and wearing costumes rooted in West African masquerade. On December 25th, dancers and musicians go from house to house, filling the day with music, movement, and communal celebration. It’s festive, competitive, and deeply cultural — a moment when families come together and kids learn from elders.
Behind the celebration lies a story of resistance: rooted in West Africa, Jankunu’s white masks and exaggerated movements are believed to have mocked British colonialists, turning oppression into defiance.
