Seven years after Hurricane Katrina, it’s somewhat unfathomable that many who can afford to leave the Gulf Coast have decided to stay in an area that is prone to the wrath of Mother Nature.
Hurricane Isaac has just done its damage on the city as well, thankfully not to the same extent as Katrina. I don’t know about you, but if a natural disaster destroys my house twice, I’m taking that is a sign from God to get out. So why do those who can leave, stay?
Anyone who truly understands the history of Louisiana should understand the beauty of the culture of New Orleans. If you walk through the city, you can still see remnants of the Spanish architecture on certain buildings.
The French culture is omnipresent, the Haitian influence can be heard in the accent of the people and tasted in the food. The musicianship of the city is on par to none, save for maybe New York during the Harlem Renaissance.
The pride, joy, and passion that these artists put in every single note they play seems to have been lost in the age of synthesizers and beat makers. Not knocking them, but these musicians in New Orleans are on a different level of genius. David Simon, creator of the HBO hit-series The Wire, excellently portrays it in the HBO series Treme.
Words cannot describe the beauty of the New Orleans culture and its people. Even though the city’s beauty is besmirched by excessive violence, their strength to overcome all is a greater testament to the city and its people.
New Orleans is truly a one of a kind place. There is nowhere on this planet like it, and there probably never will be another that can replicate its beauty. That being said, how can you blame someone who grew up in that for saying they’ll go down with their ship?
Garvey Ashhurst is a young up and coming poet, songwriter, and blogger. He is the reason that the system is afraid of a black man in a library. His aim is not to be Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, or Ghandi, but he hopes to make them proud by keeping their ideals alive through his lifestyle. He hopes that one day young brothers will one day say I want to be the next him.
