Pre and Post Hurricane Katrina:  Life for An African Dance Artist

Can you briefly describe what was happening with you, say, a few months prior to Hurricane Katrina?MC I was getting ready for a new season of dance. We (the companies) had some big plans and began to put them in motion. So we were very excited about our new season.

Did you have any major events planned leading up to that September weekend? MC The only event that I had was Kankoran. I’ve been attending Kankoran since its inception.  I have never missed Kankoran until the levees broke.  (Kankoran West African Dance Conference is an annual event held in Washington, D.C. each Labor Day weekend.)

In what way were you forewarned about the weather prediction?  MC As a native of New Orleans, we have Hurricane Season,-- June to the end of October!!! So at any given moment you have to pack up and leave.  It’s a way of life. You know what may happen and if it does, then you know what you’re up against.

What did you do after hearing about the warning? MC I ignored it. The 1st serious warning was that Friday before the levees broke—I had dance class, only a few people showed up. Folks were beginning to leave. So, I went home and watched the T.V.  On Saturday I once again had dance class. I called folk and most folk were not leaving, some were undecided ( I’m going to wait and see ) and some were already gone. Of course only 6 people showed up for class. The rest were beginning to evacuate. NO CLASS!!!! We asked the guy in the recording section of the studio if he was going to tape up the windows, his reply was “Naw.” So we said o.k. I thought about all of my drums and stacked up chairs and put them on the chairs.  That area of the city floods.  So I took precautions.

How did others in your family, neighborhood respond? MC Most people took the wait and see attitude.

Where did you go?  Please share your feelings when saw the television reports of Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath. MC I went to Jackson, Mississippi. I took my son, mom, dog, and my aunt who at the time was in a nursing home that went under water. It took us 11 hours to get to Jackson. It is normally 2 ½ hours to get to Jackson, Mississippi from New Orleans, La. We remained there for 6 weeks. No clothes, didn’t know where folks were, searching frantically to find folk, trying to get food, and monetary ways to survive.

Did you lose any family members or friends? MC Yes.  I lost someone who was just like a brother to me. We grew up together, and I considered him as a brother. Also, I lost a host of other people that were close to me. It is a very trying time for a lot of us, because we are not back at a normal capacity. We are not!!!! There’s a lot of suffering, from, all angles going on here. No progress at all. Only for the people who have money. These people only care about themselves and their neighborhoods.

Did you lose your home or experience irreparable damage? MC Yes.  All of my costumes, clothes, shoes etc… My family lost everything we had. So now we are starting all over from ground up. 

Did you have to relocate?  If so, where did you go, how long were you there and how did the people in that community receive you?  Did you have to apply for aid?  MC Yes we had to relocate. We didn’t have a choice. Everything was under water. We went to Jackson, Mississippi, and Atlanta, Georgia. Yes, we had to apply for aid. We had nothing!!!!!!!!

What made you go back to New Orleans? Are you in the same home that were in prior to Hurricane Katrina?  What kinds of hoops did you have jump through to restore your home or get into a different dwelling? MC I returned to New Orleans, but because my apartment complex did not want to deal with FEMA and the “New Rules” that they were setting, I had to seek a new place to live. Come to find out they (the government) wanted to put us in certain areas, of course you can imagine the areas. At the same time the school in which I taught African dance called me and offered me my job back. My job is a real good job. I teach African dance in the school. I can’t ask for a better job than teaching what I love in school. Giving the children a clearer understanding of from once they came and who they are, plus they can dance really good!!!!!

Now that you’re back, can you describe the environment?  What’s a typical day for you? MC The environment is terrible. My day consists of survival. Trying to put my life back together again as best I can. It’s really hard because there’s no progress. We are a 3rd world country in the U.S.A.  REALLY.  

Having gone through this traumatic experience, is there something inside of you that you need to shout to the world? MC Yes--- African American people get you s*** together.  We have got to have our business together and we must have each other’s backs.

Do you think that you need counseling?  Do you think that you or others close to you are experiencing post-traumatic stress syndrome?  Do the June 1 – November 1 dates (national hurricane season) cause you fright? MC I don’t need counseling. I need folk to understand that it is not a joke, it is not over, it’s not back and up and running again. People here are suffering. Really suffering. Yes, some people do need counseling. 

Throughout this ordeal, did you ever think you’d have to give up your profession as an African dance instructor/choreographer/performer?  MC No, African Dance is my life. I love teaching, sharing all of the lessons that I’ve been taught by all of the Masters of this Art. It’s in my heart and soul. It is also something that gets me through rough times. Teaching, choreographing, performing, designing costumes, making costumes, directing, learning and putting our people’s stories on stage is my life.  I have so many stories, it’s incredible. I believe in theatre, the whole nine yards of FOLKLORE. Tell the story. Our stories are really important because they are being lost and forgotten about. The African Dance scene is not the same as it was 10 years ago. Most people on the scene now don’t care about the history or the folklore of the dance they just want a step or a man or a woman/women. The essence of why we are there at conferences is lost. I see people competing with each other/ or who can move the fastest and I say wow, the whole concept of the conference has gone to hell. We are not here to compete, we are here to learn, to enjoy each other and most of all give thanx to all the ancestors. It was the ancestors that left this rich legacy for us and it’s on us to give them and the legacy the just respect. I have a concern that in the next 5 years the African Dance scene is going to be shot to hell. It’s going there now. I only wish that we get a hold of ourselves and snap back to reality. Always respect us and what’s ours.

Naturally, this situation has impacted your life significantly.  Where do you see yourself in the next few years?  MC Dancing!!!!!!

 

The views expressed in this interview are solely the views of the respondent, and in no way the opinions, ideals or philosophies of the ACDT Board of Directors or its Sponsors.