 |
Flourish Online Magazine | Winter 2007 |
Rooted in Liberté: Salvaging a Culture Ravaged by Katrina
By Julie Senger
“Please join me as I paddle you up the bayou for a glimpse of life in Bonfouca. Be quiet a moment, look around, breathe the clean, moist air, and take a moment to listen to the bullfrogs croak and the insects build to a crescendo. Everywhere we look is another story or another perfect photo shot, so relax and get comfortable.”
 |
Collins by the bayou in her Louisianan hometown |
In this passage from the introduction of Associate Professor of Art Charlotte Collins’ book “Rooted in Liberté,” Collins describes her hometown, which is about 40 miles outside of New Orleans and situated on Liberty Bayou. Collins penned the book as she sat beneath ancient trees “laced with Spanish moss,” watching the sun glint off the bayou. Though there was a breathtaking view before her, what lay directly behind Collins was the devastating destruction of Hurricane Katrina, including the remains of her beloved community of Bonfouca.
Collins’ initial reaction to the storm damage was “utter shock.” Her parents’ historic 1700s home and most of the other homes in the diverse community were devastated. “The place looked like a bunch of toothpicks,” she recalls.
As Collins and her neighbors began to sift through the debris to salvage what they could, they came across historical documents that would crumble in their hands as they attempted to extract them. Since most of the resources and donations were being focused on New Orleans, Collins knew that something had to be done to salvage the history that was literally slipping through her hands. This is why she decided to begin the Rooted in Liberté project.
 |
Little Tyler in the house his great-grandfather built, which became uninhabitable after Katrina |
The Rooted in Liberté project is an idea that Collins had to use art to “bring attention and, hopefully, resources to Bonfouca.” The project includes the creation of a one-of-a-kind artist’s book, a published book and a forthcoming website documenting the history and culture of the area. To complete the project, she has enlisted the help of several faculty members and students in the KSU College of the Arts, as people can’t help but be persuaded by Collins who, while tiny in stature, is huge on passion for helping the people and preserving the history of her hometown.
Art students Carol Craig, Emily Lester and April Petty are assisting in the construction of all three parts of the project. Associate Professor of Art Carole Maugé-Lewis is collaborating with Collins on the graphic design and layout of her published book, as well as designing the web content for the project’s website, www.rootedinliberte.com, which is currently under construction. Assistant Professor of Art Natasha Lovelace Habers is working with Collins on the artist’s book, which consists of three layers. Each layer will symbolically take you deeper and deeper into the history of Bonfouca, getting to the “root” of the
community.
The first layer of the artist’s book is a French door format which opens to reveal several quotes and scenes from the Bonfouca area. The second layer is called a flag book, which will consist of pictures of the people from the community of Bonfouca, who represent a huge melting pot of Native American, European, African, Caribbean, American and Creole descendants. The third layer is an audio component, which will contain some of the recorded interviews that Collins conducted with the people in Bonfouca about the history of their families there.
The project is funded by a grant Collins received from the KSU Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and the support that she received from faculty following Katrina. Also, Student Assistance for Leadership in Teaching has given Collins a grant to utilize a student to help with editing and other technological aspects of the project.
 |
Louisiana resident Alice Doucette (left) being interviewed by Collins (right) . |
“So many faculty assisted me, doing everything from donating goods and finances, to covering my classes so that I could go down and help the community, to actually coming down to Bonfouca to help the community themselves,” she says with appreciation.
The collaboration is extending into Spring Semester 2008, when Karen Robinson of the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies, Edward Eanes of the Department of Music, David Thompson of the Department of University Studies, Habers and Collins will teach several sections of the core curriculum course Arts in Society, focusing on the art, music, theatre and cultural history of the New Orleans area as part of the KSU celebration of “The Year of the Atlantic World.” Collins hopes to expand the course by offering a service-learning trip to Bonfouca.
Collins says that Bonfouca’s biggest need is “to know people care and that they haven’t been forgotten. Though there has been progress in the last two years, it has been patchy in the area.”
Some residents are further along in their reconstruction than others. Collins says one might see everything from families who have completely rebuilt their homes to families who are still living in government trailers. Collins’ parents have been fortunate enough to move back into their historic home, the oldest one in the parish, though it still needs many repairs.
Shortly after Katrina, Collins’ mother “worked and worked to repair the dining room so that we could have Christmas in there. We managed to move the table and the rest of the furniture in on Christmas Eve; there was still dirt around some of the baseboards and legs of the furniture. But we had Christmas in that dining room.”
 |
(From left to right) Students Emily Lester, April Petty, Carol Craig and professors Collins, Habers and Mauge-Lewis are collaborating on the project. |
It was a joyful moment after weeks of heartache. Collins hopes the Rooted in Liberté project will bring more moments like that to the families of
her hometown.
In addition to raising awareness, the project’s website will also allow people to donate money or volunteer time to assist the community. In the beginning, Collins wondered to herself, “how do you keep going when your heart has been broken?” After some time, she has been able to answer that for herself in two simple words, “helping others.”
Plus, those who actually travel to Bonfuoca can also enjoy the natural beauty and wonder of the meandering bayou.
If you wish to volunteer or donate money to support the community of Bonfouca, e-mail Charlotte Collins for details on how you can help.