The mud and chocolate of Jouvert 2012
This year’s Jouvert turned out to be a huge event; in fact Jouvert has grown immensely and as many as three thousand are estimated to have participated in the revelry, which precedes the road march. Bright and early on Saturday morning the crowd descended on the San Cas Plaza where the event kicked off. The revelers showered with mud and chocolate and Duane Moody was in the thick of things.
And they were off: just before dawn, at five a.m. sharp, a record number of persons, some estimate up to three thousand gathered near the Belcan Bridge in the Old Capital ready to dance through the streets of the City in the fifth edition of Jouvert. 
Women and men, adults and minors all covered in special mud—and some in chocolate—joined in the bacchanal that ended at the Plaza.
Karen Vernon
“Jouvert this morning, we started off at the wee hours at five o’clock in the morning and we know a lot of people don’t get up at that time but as you could see this morning the San Cas Plaza was very crowded and of course Coco Devils brought up the rear. We had minor problems initially with our sound system, but we got it together and we did the road.”
Duane Moody
“About two thousand people you’d say came out? Bigger than last year?”
Karen Vernon
Karen Vernon
“I would say even more than that. When I checked the San Cas Plaza before we started, both sides of the road was filled with people waiting for mud, waiting for the truck, waiting for everything to come about.”
Duane Moody
“We’re here; it’s been over an hour of nonstop dancing and partying through the streets of Belize City for Jouvert 2012. You know carnival is just hours away but everyone is hype. You know young and old everybody came out for the carnival Jouvert 2012. I am here with a traffic officer, even here. She got mud on her.”
Traffic Officer
“Mein wah whole crowd ah my daughter dehn just muddy me up and it’s fun. It’s fun and we had to work so we enjoy it.”
Duane Moody
“Tell us about the excitement leading up to the carnival road march. Are you excited?”
Traffic Officer
“Oh I am so excited because I’m working the carnival today also.”
Duane Moody
“Okay, tell us about the Jouvert; is this the most you’ve seen since it started?”
Traffic Officer
“Yes, we always do the Jouvert and this is the largest crowd we’ve ever seen.”
Duane Moody
The Jouvert is a prelude of what was to come later that afternoon in the Carnival Road March 2012. And Organizer, Karen Vernon, says the Jouvert has become a tradition over the past five years and it is getting bigger and better.
Duane Moody
“Why is this important? You know everybody coming out, young and old, and going out there putting their all out in the street hours before carnival?”
Karen Vernon
“I think, as you noticed, it has gotten to be a tradition in Belize now. I’m not sure how many years it has been happening but as the years go by it has been getting bigger and bigger and bigger. And you know we have developed our own traditions like for example, when Jouvert is finished, a lot of people jump into the river off Belcan Bridge. So that has become a tradition for Belize. But I mean it’s about Coco Devils; this morning chocolate, full throttle energy drink and we’re good to go. We ready for the carnival this afternoon.”
Lynn Lalu, a Belizean living abroad, participated for the first time in a Jouvert and says she will take the experience back home.
Lynn Lalu
Lynn Lalu
“This is my first Jouvert. Thanks to Karen, I enjoyed it and I will make my own tradition and try to be here every year for this. The one thing that I liked was that there was no violence. I am probably older than most of the kids that I was partying with and they were very decent and I enjoyed that very much.”
Duane Moody
“Obviously you’re going to take back this experience to the US….”
Lynn Lalu
“Oh, I can’t wait to tell everybody in South Florida and in New York—all my New York fans and friends—how wonderful this experience was for me.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
We can’t really call it “clean fun,” can we? I mean, they’re COVERED WITH MUD! But it seems a good way to work off a lot of youthful energy.
Well done.
The Spanish and British, the French planters, African slaves, Indian and the many other ethnic groups have all left an indelible mark on J’ouvert.
Nice to see people together for a safe cause.
This is so stupid but it s typical of belizeans today unu march for stupidity but unu can’t get up and march fu the lives of your children and your family we have really become a nation of nothingness.
Rod, you are an idiot. Get a job and a life.
Jay? i agree. Indeed.
looseness and sleckness, thats what cruffy like. you see any Chiney, indian or mennonite people out there. no they were getting ready to go to WORK.
Youcanthandlethetruth. Well spoken I can tell you have some sense.
Went to the strip club the other day and it was packed with Chiney, indians and even one mennonite. People are people stop trying to divide….
There is nothing wrong to have a little fun, as Belizeans we need to work together more and make life and Belize a better place to live
September comes around once a year and it is the only time all Belizeans from home and abroad come together to have a little bit of fun
Why can’t we enjoy the moment and have all positive remarks, this is the very reason why we have all the problems on going in the Belize.
Belize is not like it was back in the day, and the reasons behind all this is for people like Rod and You can’t handle the truth, stupid!!!
The mentality of (Rod and you can’t handle the truth) are the reason behind Belize not beign what it used to be, they are both ignorant.
Spetember comes once aa year and it is the only time Belizeans at Home and Abroad come together to have some clean fun and enjoyment.
we seem to forget the reason why Belize is called the Jewel, it is all about where we came from, remembering our heritage and moving forward at the same time.
Enjoy Belize and live on
Can we do something about changing around the ending portion of the Belizean jouvert. Jumping off a bridge is dangerous especially when one may be tipsy from too much ‘full throttle’ energy drinks combined with liquor. Please find a safe alternative so that this festive occasion is not marred by any more loss of lives.
you cant handle the truth and rod, you too idiots have a life ?????? noooo please get one
No justice it’s because of people like you and bmp that Belize is the way it is now back in he day we had reasons to celebrate but not today there is nothing to celebrate when people the dead daily children the get killed and raped nobody have jobs the country is in the worse state it has ever been in andwe have belizean American traitors coming on here supporting a pm that is as useless as tits on a bull please you are the cause of the destruction of our country so take judas barrow with you to Miami or la or wherever your from. Start to march for your children if not for yourself we soon aw can’t feed we self so to march for foolishness is idiotic march fu unu future and that of our children .