from suffering to flamboyance, the tormented history of New Orleans

Popularized by Treme, a superb series by David Simon (HBO, 2010), the history and culture of black indians perform each year in the spectacular New Orleans Mardi Gras parades. Behind the dazzling costumes presented to visitors lies a complex story. The exhibition omits nothing from the painful history of African-Americans in this southern state of the United States: from the capture of slaves in Africa, the transatlantic slave trade, enslavement, to the Civil War, segregation , racism and discrimination up to the scars of Hurricane Katrina which devastated New Orleans in 2005.

Through a geographical and chronological journey punctuated with interviews, contemporary costumes and traditional works, the exhibition reveals a unique culture, built by more than three centuries of resistance against the onslaught of social and racial domination, still present today. today. The visitor is thus immersed in this history: objects from the indigenous Amerindian populations, maps of the European conquest, traces of the French presence in Louisiana, presentation of a Black Code, documents on the slave trade and deportation, and presentation of African objects. who crossed the Atlantic like the exceptional zoomorphic mask of the Diolo culture (Senegal), dating from before 1756, the oldest African mask currently preserved in the world.

The exhibition also bears witness to the deep ties created by the Amerindians, decimated by the settlers and the first to experience servitude and oppression, with the African-American community. Many runaway slaves found refuge with Native Americans in the bayous. During the second half of the 19th century, Native American imagination, lifestyles, beliefs and costumes became a source of inspiration for the very first Black Indians. These groups of African-Americans organized into “tribes” parade in parallel with the official New Orleans carnival dominated by the white community, and from which they are excluded because of segregation.

The costumes, inspired by Native American ceremonial outfits, are handmade with lots of beads, feathers and sequins. They reflect the influences of the many cultures that intersect in New Orleans: Cajun, African, Native American, Creole, Voodoo. Directly on the costumes, scenes embroidered entirely in beads represent religious themes or related to the struggle for civil rights.

The tradition has continued until today, even after Storm Katrina hit the black population of New Orleans very hard on August 29, 2005. After the destruction of black neighborhoods in New Orleans, near one million African-Americans are scattered across Louisiana and neighboring states. However, soon enough, the residents began the painstaking reconstruction of their neighborhoods and their community. In autumn, the difficult return to a normal life begins, to the sound of brass bands from the parades.

The exhibition is accompanied by an extensive cultural program. Good deals: every Sunday afternoon, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., a free music show with brass bands, and on Friday November 25 a whole evening (music, gastronomy, dance, etc.) from 7 p.m. to midnight, also free, with access free. And, not to be missed, the grand closing parade on January 15, 2023. Not to be missed.