Ashé in December Haze – 3 Days in New Orleans

In December 2016, I attended a transgender wellness conference in New Orleans,  Louisiana, spending 3 nights in the lovely city. As with every visit, the intense energy of the place can be felt upon entry. I am lucky to have a close friend living here and in this visit an apartment to stay a quick streetcar ride away from downtown and the Quarter.

The weather was cool and humid, overcast and sometimes rainy. The cemeteries were filled with tourists, and the streetcar was, too. This was not a time to walk the crowded streets of the Quarter, as on my sola daywalk I wanted to explore the history of a place skirting its north side…Congo Square.

Louis Armstrong park is across Rampart St from the French Quarter, with a small lake/canal, walking paths, museum, statues, and Congo Square. The statue of Louis Armstrong is prominent and right by the water, with grass and benches around. There was a tour group and some other people around, but it wasn’t too busy.

Congo Square was, for part of the 1800s, the only place in town where enslaved African Americans were legally allowed to gather. There had been a market here since the 1700s on Sundays  (the day off) where the different ethnic groups traded, socialized, played music and danced. People from the other parts of town would come to watch the dances and musical performances, which evolved into the second line and Mardi Gras parades. Drum circles still happen here on Sundays, brass bands have played here starting in the late 1800s, and so it has been argued that this is the birthplaces of Jazz music.

As this was a Friday, there was no drum circle or large gathering, just a few people sitting under the old oak trees. I sat and played my doumbek drum quietly as an interesting woman walked across the square several times. It was like we were all waiting for something. I was waiting for T. to get here and we would play music and dance. It was getting dark and the air was heavy.

When she arrived,  we danced the sunset, and sang to Oshun, orisha of the sweet waters.  T. led the stream of consciousness song and dance of moving light, and it brought a guy over to join us.  After we were done,  a trans woman came over to us and said hello. Here is a video of what we did.

 

Also on this visit, I was invited to go into the Ashé cultural center, in the St Charles neighborhood where we were staying.  They sell textiles and beadwork from Africa as well as plenty of locally made items. The employees and volunteers model the awesome clothing. Artwork is on the walls films are shown here, and community meals are served. Check out some of the images from the center and also their website: http://www.ashecac.org/main/

Speaking of Hurricane Katrina,  here is Charity Hospital on Tulane Ave which was evacuated during the floods and has sat empty since….

There is really so much to experience in New Orleans it’s too difficult to try to put it all into a little blog like this. But two or three days is enough to get a little of the flavor here. Eat a beignet at café du monde and sit by the Mississippi river with powdered sugar  blowing all over you. Listen to some of the amazing street musicians. Bathe in pools behind an old house that used to be a gay bathhouse (the Country Club). Check out a cemetery. Sit at a corner in one of the old parts of town, look at the signs in French, Spanish, and English. Drink whatever, anywhere you want. Feel the rhythms and dance…