The voice of Mississippi is still singing in New Orleans, umbrella dance, cheesy mixed with sweet people, ruthless people holding hands with divine people, and the sleep of the dead in life.
"It's a city that enjoys life," said Robert Florence. He went there first and became a playwright and writer, just like New Orleans. He added: "This is a city that lives temporarily. It is a city that has no judgment. It is a city that people don't have to worry about."
New Orleans resident Tennessee Williams ranks it among the top three cities in the United States.
Williams is said to have said: “Other places, Cleveland is.”
In the embrace of Mississippi, the area has been inhabited by native peoples for centuries. But it turned out that this was not where to live. It survived the rage of fire, war, disease, Hurricane Katrina New Year's Eve terrorist attack,Now, prison This continues to make headlines.
“But we are still here,” said Mona Lisa Saloy, a former Louisiana Poets Award winner and professor at Dillard University, the state is the oldest historical black college or university in the state, or HBCU. “Those of us who are here want to be here because there is no place like this.”
Saloy said New Orleans’ reputation as a “party city” tells little of its entire story. She told CBS Sunday Morning that the families living there and their traditions make the city a reality. These families have deep roots in many places.
The French claimed and named New Orleans in 1718. Later, it was controlled by Spain, returned to France to rule and was eventually sold to Thomas Jefferson as part of the Louisiana purchase. One of the first settlers in the area: criminals, forgers, pirates and prostitutes. But, over time, the duality of New Orleans could be the city’s “secret sauce.”
"They are not Puritans!" Florence said of the early settlers of New Orleans. But, he noted: "At the same time, it is a very devout city and a very spiritual city."
Like many cities in the southern United States, New Orleans was built behind enslaved. But unlike the rest of the south, enslaved and free people of color stand shoulder to shoulder. They are allowed to celebrate their traditions rather than hide them.
"After worship, on Sunday afternoon, blacks can unite and sell their goods, practice drumming, dancing and singing," Saloy said. "There is no other place in the country that allows the free public congregation and freedom of enslaved Africans."
Those African traditions began to blend with the musical influences around them (classical, Mambo and Tango) and blended into jazz. Locals like Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton and King Oliver were born in this culture, creating a voice that has never been heard before, and are still evolving today.
If music is the heartbeat of New Orleans, its Creole cuisine is the soul of the city. Growing up on Southern Cooking, Mark Twain once said, “Food in New Orleans is as delicious as the sin of less crime.” From the colorful Creole Cottages to the large pre-war mansion, it was also a feast for the eyes.
Grace, perseverance, acceptance and contempt are all in the bone marrow of New Orleans. Saloy was asked to sum up the city and said, "Happy. We kept that. It was part of us and we didn't let it go."
"I think it's more than just buildings, music and food," Florence added. "I think it's people who are attracting people here."
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