Congo Square (OUTDOORS)
Congo Square is one of the most hallowed sites in American music history. This area, once a grassy commons behind the original city rampart (now Rampart Street), was one of several gathering places for enslaved people from Africa and their descendants. In the 1700s, under French and Spanish colonial rule, slaves were permitted to buy and sell goods on Sundays. They also played African-style musical instruments and performed dances that originated from their native homes. After New Orleans became part of the United States in the early 1800s, a city ordinance limited gatherings of slaves to this spot, and only until sunset. Still, the weekly ritual sustained a continuum of African culture in the New World, with profound implications for the future of music.
Upcoming Shows
4-5:30
Junebug Productions Presents “Movement of Our Mother Tongue”
“Gomela/To Return: Movement of our Mother Tongue” is a site specific dance theater performance that highlights the stories of New Orleans African American communities and their histories. Developed in partnership with Congo Square Preservation Society, Golden Feather Mardi Gras Indian Restaurant and Gallery, , Hidden History Tours, and Amistad Research Center the performance will feature award-winning poet Sunni Patterson, Musician Troy Sawyer and New Orleans dance and drumming company, Kumbuka African Drum and Dance Collective. This original piece ” “Gomela” will highlight ancient art forms (African dance and drumming) and new artistic expressions (spoken word, hip-hop) that make evident the connection between Africa, Haiti and New Orleans. We will connect the past and present by highlighting historic moments in New Orleans: 1811 Slave Revolt, Reconstruction, Plessy vs. Fergusson, birth of jazz, civil rights movement, integration, the building of I-10.
