Mumbo Jumbo

LaBas, the novel’s protagonist, is a houngan (voodoo priest) and head of the Mumbo Jumbo Kathedral. He views Jes Grew as a manifestation of traditional African beliefs and hopes that its spread will uplift Black people. Of Jes Grew, he says, “For some, it’s a disease, a plague, but in fact it is an anti-plague” (33). He hopes to reunite Jes Grew with its sacred text, the Book of Thoth, and during this pursuit he battles the forces of Atonism.

While most of the characters in Mumbo Jumbo don’t exhibit much growth or change, LaBas does, to an extent. At the novel’s outset, he is resistant to the younger generation’s desire for modernization. But as the novel progresses, he becomes more willing to adapt as his community seeks growth through contemporary thinking and institutions. In the epilogue, LaBas, now 100 years old, seems to have found peace and satisfaction with the life he has lived.

Von Vampton, the novel’s antagonist, is a centuries-old European who aims to eradicate Jes Grew and maintain the dominance of Western civilization. He has struck a deal with the Wallflower Order and is working on their behalf.