Dear, Congo
Frederick Quinn reflects on his personal connection to Congo Square and the importance of connecting to sacred sites.
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By Frederick Quinn
In 2021, I was a junior at Xavier University of Louisiana taking music appreciation class. One day we had a guest musician visit and introduce the class to a traditional African drum called the djembe drum. The musician, who used a wheelchair, lifted the heavy drum from his bag, and got out of his wheelchair and down onto the floor. He scanned the room to find a student who he could call to play the drum. He called on me.
I was stunned. I had never drummed, nor did I know what to expect. He started demonstrating how to hit the drum and keep a rhythm. He spoke more about the feeling of playing rather than the technicalities of how to use the instrument. I began to hit the drum and the vibrations ran through me. It was like time stood still. The only presence that mattered was my heart, the drum and the people around me. The musician told me that drumming is more than drumming for him. It’s the passing on of a legacy — a way to honor the tradition and faith of his ancestors. I asked him what motivated him to continue to drum. His children, he said. That did a number on me.
I connect that feeling with Congo Square, one the most sacred public spaces in our city. I remember the musician telling us he actually played at Congo Square. I revisited the square for the first time in nine years this past July. There is so much beauty there. The first thing I notice the moment I walk into the large public space are the patterned pavestones at my feet, a kind of gray-and-red checkerboard design of concentric circles. I see the statues and sculptures that highlight African people and culture. Some of them depict Africans dancing and singing. Others show them laughing and hugging. I can almost hear and feel the drums.
In the 19th century, Congo Square, located off modern day Rampart Street, was a place where Africans, many of them enslaved, gathered to preserve their cultural traditions, including the cuisine and music of the African continent, as well as find joy amid the horrors of slavery.
In many ways, Congo Square was one of the first public greenspaces in the Americas that was claimed and cultivated by Black people, both Africans who were enslaved and free people of color.
Today, this historic gathering spot is home to drum circles, festivals, art exhibits and concerts. It’s a destination for historic tours of New Orleans, a place where all people can come to enjoy, admire and respect the rich and complicated cultural history of New Orleans and its ties to the African continent.
But do young Black people in New Orleans feel connected to this place? I remember taking a field trip to Congo Square as a kid in the early 2000s. At the time, I understood the facts and information presented to me about the space. But it was still hard for me to grasp its full history. I had to go back and do my own research to realize I have a connection to Congo Square.
What connects me to the place is the fact that it wasn’t just land used by Africans; it was a testament to their faith for a better tomorrow. This was the place where they told stories and carried out tradition, where they held onto their faith through music and dancing with each other.
That is the beauty of Congo Square: the presence of history and the passing on of a shared story to the people who you love. Today, you see all walks of life gathering at Congo Square with family and friends. On Sunday afternoons, the presence of the ancestors who made the space what it was is felt with a drum celebration and dancing. Congo Square is a place to pay homage and keep the community alive.
Frederick Quinn (he/him) studies at the University of New Orleans and is pursuing a career in multimedia journalism. Quinn has interned at WGNO and WVUE Fox 8.
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