‘Julie Mango’ Celebrating Jamaican Culture

Jamaicans locally and in the diaspora can enjoy vibrant and comedic re-enactments of the island’s culture through rising social media personality, Juliet “Julie Mango” Bodley.

For almost a year, the 39-year-old has gained attention from posting short videos on the social media apps, Instagram and Tik Tok, creating skits of different habits, social patterns and cultural aspects of a ‘true Jamaican’.

“I think my videos help people enjoy Jamaica’s culture a little bit more. When you’re in Jamaica, sometimes you don’t get to appreciate the little nuances of being a Jamaican, and I think what my videos do is remind them,” she told JIS NEWS.

Ms. Bodley shares that feedback from persons in the diaspora made her recognise how much they missed living in Jamaica, and, oftentimes, there are sentimental comments under her posts.

“I would post a video that I think is a simple thing and people would comment their life story underneath it, and I wish I could respond to everybody, but I realise that persons in the diaspora do miss home,” she says.

Though not believing her videos bridge a gap for people in the diaspora to appreciate the Jamaican culture, she instead believes that they invoke a “level of nostalgia that creates a happy feeling”.

She recalls that her love for Jamaican culture dates back to her time in Manchester High School where she would perform in national hero and slavery-themed plays. Now years later, social media has offered her the chance to share her gift and love for the Jamaican culture in her own unique way.

“Sometimes when I’m doing the videos, I have to do some Jamaican research and it broadens my knowledge for sure, but the appreciation, acknowledgement and the love for the Jamaican culture was always there,” she says.

‘Julie’ says that children have also been learning about Jamaica’s culture from watching her skits. “That’s especially why, apart from my Christianity, I keep my videos clean,” she notes.

The cheerful comedian, now living in the United States, plans each skit not only with an attitude to have fun but with the inspiration of her childhood memories during the time she lived in Jamaica.

“In a lot of my videos, I’m straight-up imitating my dad and both my grandmothers,” she says, adding that their personalities stood out the most from all her family members.

On that note, she tells JIS NEWS that she had a great relationship with her father, who gave her the nickname, “Julie Mango” after he found her eating dozens of Julie mangoes under the tree in the family yard as a child.

Today, Julie works as a structural engineer and life coach for individuals aged 14 to 60 in the USA. However, she says Jamaica will always have “an edge” that cannot be found elsewhere.

“Just being able to go out on the road and talk to a stranger and have a conversation, I miss being able to speak creole. I miss being able to sit on the roadside and count cars, if you do that here, the police will ask you if you’re drunk,” she expresses.

She also says simple things such as walking in New Kingston and purchasing from vendors, enjoying wholesome Jamaican cuisine and seeing her friends were also activities she missed the most from living in Jamaica.

The comedian says she is working to take her acting skills to big screens and establish her acting career but will continue to enjoy her work without fearing the publicity.

“I just try not to focus on [all the attention] and just see it for what it is worth at this present time and because I’m a Christian, I get to hide behind Jesus, so whatever is happening it’s His will. I wouldn’t say I’m afraid of the attention,” she shares.

Meanwhile, as Jamaica celebrates its 59th year of Independence from British colonial rule on August 6, she is encouraging all citizens to adopt an independent frame of mind in order to contribute to society.

“An emancipated state of mind says, what can I do to contribute to society? Can I arrange a committee? Can I create a non-profit? Real emancipation involves every individual being emancipated for themselves and in their minds first, in every way, such as how they look at themselves,” she advises.

She told JIS News that an example of “real emancipation” is by eliminating the practice of being “colour-prejudiced”, that is thinking higher of lighter coloured skin than dark skin.

As her videos continue to go viral locally and internationally, she intends to continue creating content for as long as she can, with the hope that others can be proud of their authentic Jamaican self.

You can follow Julie Mango’s journey across Instagram and Tik Tok @Juliemango.