No More, No More ─ Slavery and Cultural Resistance in Havana and New Orleans

Walker (history, Black Voice Foundation) describes public performances, specifically those of El Dia de Reyes festival in Havana and the weekly activities in Congo Square in New Orleans in the nineteenth century, as acts of cultural resistance. There, those of African descent, slave or free, controlled their own definitions of time, family, social image and community. Walker challenges the notion that whites "allowed" such festivals to dissipate tensions; he notes this is inconsistent with the dehumanizing nature of slavery, in which whites defined public spaces as violent and oppressive. In fact, he finds that these festivals threatened racial hierarchies and supported unity amongst those whites identified as alien or subordinate. He believes these festivals were creative ways to address reality and affirm life, to acknowledge and celebrate links to Africa, and to fight for stability in families and communities. Annotation c2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)