NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Ashé Cultural Arts Center announced the 25th Anniversary of MAAFA, the city’s powerful and sacred commemoration of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
This year’s events invite the community into a deeper experience of legacy, healing, and homecoming, under the theme: La Porte du Retour – The Door of Return. This is a salute to the lineage by amalgamating the elements of Africa’s ancient customs, foods, crops and music that are linked to ancestral DNA.
The anniversary celebration begins with the MAAFA All White Party & Exhibit Opening on Saturday, June 28 at 6 p.m. at Ashé Cultural Arts Center. This elevated evening will feature live music, food, cultural celebration and a heartfelt tribute to Grand Griots, the storytellers and wisdom keepers of our communities. This year’ s Grand Griots are Shelton “African American Shakespeare” Alexander and Spike Lee, for their unwavering reflection of life in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Attendees are encouraged to wear white in honor of the ancestors and their purity, and MAAFA attire will be available for purchase in the Ashé Diaspora boutique. Tickets are just $25 and can be purchased online at bit.ly/maafa25-exhibition.
“This 25th anniversary of MAAFA through the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina marks a Season of Remembrance, whereby we pursue compassion in our fellow New Orleanians, our fellow Americans, and our fellow global citizens by reminding us of the profound and unrequited sacrifice forced from our Ancestors and paid in blood, bones, and oceans of tears.” said Asali DeVan Ecclesiastes, chief equity & executive officer at Ashé.“Twelve generations into living with the realities of enslavement, our great disaster, many have forgotten. Yet, in awesome splendor and purpose, generation by generation we summon the strength of mind, strength of character, and mastery of will, to continually contribute to building and rebuilding societies filled with broken promises and broken people.”
The full MAAFA exhibit will remain open through mid-October 2025, offering guests the opportunity to engage with curated works that reflect the journey and resilience of the African diaspora throughout MAAFA and the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
The commemoration continues on Saturday, July 5, at 8 a.m. at Congo Square, where participants will gather to share an interfaith ritual of grief and honor. At 9 a.m. will begin a commemorative procession along the special anniversary route, with drummers, dancers, healers, artists, activists and musicians through historic Tremé, with a stop at St. Augustine Catholic Church, the site of the Tomb of the Unknown Slave. From there, the procession continues through the French Quarter with pauses at historical sites, including those where slave auctions took place with shameful regularity. The procession ends at the Mississippi River with the unveiling of the Rivers Rhythms Mural, erected in partnership with RTA, Arts New Orleans, and GNO, Inc. The unveiling will be followed by River Offerings to the Ancestors, those oppressed by the Transatlantic Slave Trade, and the multitudes of victims impacted by this greatest of human tragedies. Participation in MAAFA is free and open to the public but we ask that attendees RSVP at bit.ly/maafa-rsvp.
Please note, due to the extreme heat and humidity predicted this summer, the procession will leave Congo Square promptly at 9 a.m. instead of the customary 10 a.m.
For more information or to RSVP, visit www.ashenola.org/maafa.
