New Orleans natives, those who experienced Hurricane Katrina, would not necessarily say that the city returned to its former state, even after eleven years.
(This is an image from the Hurricane Katrina exhibit in the Presbytere Museum in New Orleans. It states that rather than trying to remain the same after a disaster, the community tries to change in ways that can help protect themselves in the future.)
The rebuilding has been impressive, but some say the city will never be the same after its drowning. The Lower 9th Ward has the potential to never be revived. The population has shrunk since some displaced people decided never to return. Who could blame them? After losing everything and knowing it could easily happen again, people chose to relocate for good.
New Orleans is made up of people of French, Spanish, African, and Caribbean descents and with that, come different aspects of each culture (McKernan and Mulcahy 4). From the creole jambalaya and gumbo and incredibly distinct dialect, to French style and Jazz music, the city can be considered extraordinary. It doesn't quite remind people of any other place in the country. Since it lost many of its citizens, it has struggled to maintain some of those original qualities.
There is a belief among the remaining residents of New Orleans, however, that the culture lies inside its people, not its buildings (McKernan and Mulcahy 5). Taking this into consideration, the spirit, values, and cultures in New Orleans are not completely lost, despite the high crime rate that has not since resolved. Ideally, everyone who lived in New Orleans prior to Katrina would return and less would be lost. New Orleans had gained the opportunity to rebuild, restructure, and start over, starting with uplifting the community. Many neighborhoods and their characteristic buildings have been reestablished and New Orleans occupants are working towards enticing people to return to their city, and bring back some of the life.
(An image from the Presbytere Museum discussing the culture that exists in New Orleans and how it has been maintained after the many disasters the city had faced.)
There is a belief among the remaining residents of New Orleans, however, that the culture lies inside its people, not its buildings (McKernan and Mulcahy 5). Taking this into consideration, the spirit, values, and cultures in New Orleans are not completely lost, despite the high crime rate that has not since resolved. Ideally, everyone who lived in New Orleans prior to Katrina would return and less would be lost. New Orleans had gained the opportunity to rebuild, restructure, and start over, starting with uplifting the community. Many neighborhoods and their characteristic buildings have been reestablished and New Orleans occupants are working towards enticing people to return to their city, and bring back some of the life.
One way that New Orleans is maintaining history and celebrating culture is by continuing to observe Mardi Gras.
Mardi Gras celebrations can be traced back all the way to 1699, where masked participants paraded in the streets, welcoming the coming of Spring (NewOrleansOnline.com). The majority of new reporters were expressing skepticism that New Orleans would be able to recover and people assumed that Mardi Gras would not continue, at least not soon after the storm.
Mardi Gras is celebrated in several parts of the world, however, the celebration in New Orleans has been dubbed "the largest party in America" (NewOrleansOnline.com). Just six months after the disaster of Katrina, the city was able to celebrate Mardi Gras, although it was a slightly smaller and shorter affair. It would seem that an event like this could lift people's spirits and start to bring communities back together. Now eleven years since the storm, Mardi Gras festivities have mostly returned to normal.
(From the Presbytere. Some New Orleans residents trying to maintain some humor in life.)
Mardi Gras celebrations can be traced back all the way to 1699, where masked participants paraded in the streets, welcoming the coming of Spring (NewOrleansOnline.com). The majority of new reporters were expressing skepticism that New Orleans would be able to recover and people assumed that Mardi Gras would not continue, at least not soon after the storm.
Mardi Gras is celebrated in several parts of the world, however, the celebration in New Orleans has been dubbed "the largest party in America" (NewOrleansOnline.com). Just six months after the disaster of Katrina, the city was able to celebrate Mardi Gras, although it was a slightly smaller and shorter affair. It would seem that an event like this could lift people's spirits and start to bring communities back together. Now eleven years since the storm, Mardi Gras festivities have mostly returned to normal.
These images depict some of the Mardi Gras participants marching past still existing debris in the streets. This shows a strong effort on behalf of the citizens of New Orleans and their willingness to keep the traditions alive even through tragedy.
On the New Orleans webpage, there are tips for surviving a hurricane, in which one piece of advice given is to get used to "roughing it" (NewOrleansOnline.com). It is interesting that survivors of Katrina would choose to stay in the area and potentially face another disaster, besides for those who cannot afford to move. It would seem like that statement says a lot about the essence of New Orleans and the feelings being in the city must bring to those who love it so much.
McKernan and Mulcahy. “Hurricane Katrina: A Cultural Chernobyl.” Journal of Arts Management Law & Society 38.3 (2008): 217. Jan 2017
The Official Tourism Site of the City of New Orleans: NewOrleansOnline.com, (2017). New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation
No comments:
Post a Comment