The annual New Orleans MAAFA Commemoration is a community remembrance event, a moment to reckon with the horrors of the Transatlantic and Domestic Slave Trades, and a release from the chains of its legacy. MAAFA is a Kiswahili word meaning “horrific tragedy” and refers to the period known as The Middle Passage. This year’s event presented by Ashé Cultural Arts Center is on Saturday, July 6, 2023 at 7:00am, beginning at Congo Square (701 N Rampart St.)

This year’s theme is Radiant Rhythms, where we center the power and resilience of African drums as symbols of strength and unity, story and sound, rhythm and joy. Each beat of an African drum tells a story, echoing the voices of ancestors who taught us to use them to communicate, celebrate, mourn, and inspire. Drums announce births, deaths, marriages, religious rites and rituals, and social and political events. They herald our coming to and our going from the land of the living, and every significant moment in between. Throughout history, as Africa experienced tragedy after tragedy at the hands of colonizers, the drums remained a steadfast connection to our sacred source.

MAAFA identifies historically-significant locations of New Orleans’ own history as a major slave market, such as Esplanade Avenue and The Tomb of the Unknown Slave in Tremé. In closing, we say the names of those enslaved and free, victims of tragic events, senseless violence, as well as all those who were, so that we might be.

All white attire is preferred. The local community and visitors are invited to attend this commemoration event of healing, testimony, and celebration of our ancestors, existence, and survival.