2.3: How Congo Square Survived

About this episode

This episode explores the historical significance of Congo Square and its cultural impact on New Orleans.

We explore why Congo Square existed for so long, how it retained an African character, and how its memory survived beyond New Orleans. We also talk about Louisiana Creole and some surprising aspects of this near-extinct language. LEARN MORE: Congo Square: African Roots in New Orleans by Freddi Williams Evans Congo Square in New Orleans by Jerah Johnson “A Window on Slave Culture: Dances at Congo Square in New Orleans, 1800-1862” by Gary A. Donaldson The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette City of a Million Dreams: New Orleans at 300 by Jason Berry The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell “African Cultural Memory in New Orleans Music” by Jason Berry “Deep Skin: Reconstructing Congo Square” by Joseph R. Roach “New Orleans Music as a Circulatory System” by Matt Sakakeeny “The Invention of a Memory: Congo Square and African Music in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans” by Ted Widmer Sinful Tunes and Spirituals: Black Folk Music to the Civil War by Dena J. Epstein https://antigravitymagazine.com/feature/sacred-ground/ SOUNDS: French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri --https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License…

People in this episode

Host: Steve Keller

Topics covered

• Congo Square
• African culture
• Louisiana Creole
• New Orleans history
• music
• language preservation

Keywords

• Congo Square
• African character
• Louisiana Creole
• New Orleans music
• cultural memory

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Anti-Gravity Magazine

Books & works: Congo Square: African Roots in New Orleans, A Window on Slave Culture: Dances at Congo Square in New Orleans, 1800-1862, The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square, City of a Million Dreams: New Orleans at 300, The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans, African Cultural Memory in New Orleans Music, Deep Skin: Reconstructing Congo Square, New Orleans Music as a Circulatory System, The Invention of a Memory: Congo Square and African Music in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans, Sinful Tunes and Spirituals: Black Folk Music to the Civil War

Places: Congo Square

More episodes of City History: New Orleans

• 2.5: The 1832 Cholera Pandemic · April 3, 2026 · 52 min
• 2.4: The End of Congo Square · January 19, 2026 · 34 min
• 2.2: Congo Square · November 21, 2025 · 33 min
• 2.1: Congo Plains · September 30, 2025 · 25 min
• 1.31: Why the Battle of New Orleans Mattered · July 7, 2025 · 34 min
• 1.30: The Goodbye Look · June 4, 2025 · 23 min