(Mumbo Jumbo) Jes Grew Lives On
Jes Grew Lives On In his novel Mumbo Jumbo , Ishmael Reed illustrates the conflict between Jes Grew and the Atonist Path during the Harlem Renaissance (1920s). But, where is Jes Grew now? Has the Atonist Path obliterated it from history as it intended? Or, as PaPa LaBas states, is Jes Grew "life" with "no end and no beginning" (Reed)? Is it hidden behind a veil of obscurity and censure, waiting for a new Text to bring it into the limelight? To understand the present state of Jes Grew, we must first define the widespread cultural phenomenon and the underlying significance of its conflict with the Atonist Path before exploring its relation to our current society. Viewed as a disastrous pandemic by Western critics and Atonist followers, Jes Grew holds distinct parallels to jazz and the Harlem Renaissance movement in promoting Afrocentric music and art popular among youth. Reed strengthens this positive nuance while challenging the Atonist's patholog...