Synopsis
Set in a Protestant boys' public school in present-day Belfast, Mumbo Jumbo centres on the sexual discovery and political awakening of two classmates: the poetic and idealistic Dunham, and his fiercely Orange friend, Creaney. School is seen as a world which both reflects and reinforces the rigid tribalism and sectarianism of Ulster politics. The schoolboys' chant of Vachel Lindsay's menacingly rhythmic poem, The Congo, acts as a powerful central metaphor, weaving its way relentlessly through the action of the play as it mesmerizes the innocent young minds.