Neighborhood Story Project

05/22/2026

Seydou Keïta: A Tactile Lens at the Brooklyn Museum just closed. Here are a few highlights from the Malian portrait photographer whose work documented the intimacy of close relationships, as well as fashion and individuality in Bamako from the 1940s to 60s. Part 1, family: Self portrait of Keïta * Keïta on the front row with one of his wives, Layla Haidara, whose father was a Taureg king. She died early in life before they had children * Keïta with his second wife, Mariama Sy * Main exhibition room at the Brooklyn Museum * Part 2: Known for encouraging his clients to incorporate meaningful clothing and objects into their portraits-The fabric is * Smoking a narrow pipe * Wearing French coins, louis d’or, which was said to ward off the evil eye and protect the wearer’s soul. * Part 3: Evoking the era in objects: Carnelian stone necklace from Segou, Mali from@the early 1900s. The stones were often worn as amulets and included in women’s dowries. * Gold pectoral necklace from the early 1900s. Wolof from Senegal. The exhibit was curated by Catherine E. McKinley with Imani Williford.

05/14/2026

Sending best wishes to and Elizabeth as the open their new building for Their friendship and generosity has been a blessing in our lives. During the New African Orleans festival, Serigne and came to our class to share the poetry of Cheikh Amadiu Bamba, the founder of the Mouride tariqa, the Sufi order they belong to in Senegal. Here is a translation of one of the songs they sang, A Soul’s Gratitude: Most Merciful, grant Your mercy upon all creatures/You who protect the one who recites the Quran/Shield the community of the Chosen One from all misfortune/And grant Your mercy to all creatures, You who created their ancestor, Adam/Holder of Sovereignty that transcends all rancor
Bestow Your mercy upon all mankind, O Protecting Guide/Holder of Sovereignty that transcends all rancor
Bestow Your mercy upon all mankind, O Protecting Guide/You have cleansed my heart of the darkness that troubled it/Through the greatest of those who sought refuge in God

05/05/2026

Dear all, Tuesday, May 5 is the day that nonprofits around New Orleans raise money for their organizations through a fundraising campaign called GiveNOLA. We would really appreciate your support :) The link to our page is here. The Neighborhood Story Project was founded in 2004 as a collaborative anthropology organization. Following our mission of "Our Stories Told By Us,” we invest in long-term, creative partnerships with community-based organizations to create books, exhibits, public programs, and cross-cultural exchanges. For 16 years, we ran a cornerstore in the Seventh Ward as a workshop and gathering space. Due to severe damage from Hurricane Ida, we moved out in 2021. It has taken a long time to find a new home, but have recently been welcomed by the International Center at the University of New Orleans. We are dedicating this year’s Give NOLA to help renovate the new space and continue to build on our projects:

• Build an open-sourced, community-based database of our oral histories, photography, films, and music.

• Launch Subtropique, a bilingual, international journal to connect our communities in New Orleans and around the world

• Continue to produce the All Saints Day community altar and concert (free and open to the public) in the fall, and the New African Orleans Festival in the spring.

• Support collaborations between New Orleans and Senegal in our work with Fi Yi Yi and the Mandingo Warriors.

Since 2004, the Neighborhood Story Project has worked with public schools, grassroots organizations, community-based museums, and other important...

05/04/2026

Photographs from the Nigerian Women’s Association in New Orleans, who partnered with us in launching the New African Orleans Family Festival. Thank you to Dr. Petrice Sams Abiodun (far left in first picture), who has been on the NSP’s board since we began in 2004 and is also a long-time member of association for bringing us together, as well as everyone in the association for joining us. 😊 We look forward to continuing to collaborate over the next year as we get settled into the International Center at UNO.

05/04/2026

Fi Yi Yi and the Mandingo Warriors at our first annual New African Orleans Family Festival 04.04.26 with and Babacar Seck…We began working with Fi Yi Yi in 2011 on the book Fire in the Hole, which documents Big Chief Victor Harris’s decision to begin masking for Carnival in honor of his African ancestry. As he writes in the book, “I was dealing with the ancestors, the race of all people.” As our friendship and creative partnership developed over the years, we made a commitment to connect to the continent. Through our partnership with Alune and the director of International Affairs for the city of New Orleans, Rosine Pema Sanga, we traveled to Senegal and had an opportunity to participate in a parade in Dakar and share the beading arts with students in history course at Université Cheikh Anta Diop …In honor of this bridgework, we we are sharing a little scrapbook over the last year. Victor used to say, “We have everything we need to do our own festival.” It seemed daunting but he was right. Thank you to the New Orleans Senegalese Association, the leadership of Masse Ndiaye, and the friendship of for helping us make connections to the Senegalese community here, to our colleague for navigating our move to the International Center at UNO while we were organizing everything…and to the Nigerian Women’s Association in New Orleans for this video!

05/04/2026

It is an honor to work with the best in the game. For months, we talked on the phone and had meetings at the Young Men Olympian, Jr.’s Clubhouse to plan the first annual New African Orleans Family Festival with our partners in the second line community. Thank you to YMO, Prince of Wales, and for coming together to create something new. The fish plates, yaka mein, and grilled oysters sold out :) The grand finale, hosted by the clubs with djjubilee and the Treme Funkets and Babacar Seck brought the audience together with music and dance that was both familiar and new. We are so grateful to everyone. Merci beaucoup to and as well for all the support on multiple fronts

05/03/2026

At our first annual New African Orleans Festival on April 4, 2026, the Senegalese designer and time traveler debuted two collections in the city. From the island of Saint-Louis off the coast of northern Senegal, Rama shared her Indigo collection which brought together the history of Indigo dye in West Africa and early colonial Louisiana, as well as a new collection she created especially for the festival in honor of the sister-city cultural exchange between Saint-Louis and New Orleans. In between collections, the Spirit of Fi Yi Yi and the Mandingo Warriors was joined on stage by musicians from West Africa and New Orleans and the incredible … Look out for more collaborations with Rama and Fi Yi Yi this upcoming year. Thank you to and and management for bringing us together and keeping the train rolling.

05/03/2026

Scrapbook of Day 3 of our New African Orleans Festival with on April 4, 2026. Shared in installments, this slide show includes: Warm up with Footwerk Family, and sabar drummer Babacar Seck * during her opening blessing * Backstage with Culu * MC * Audience participation with Culu * The ties between Senegal and New Orleans from the early 1700s until now with and * Afrissippi with * and Raja Kassis.

04/25/2026

It’s almost Weedie Fest again…the beautiful night hosted by to uplift music of West Africa and the diaspora. Come out to .village on Wed, April 29 with doors opening at 6:30. The next evening, he will be part of a drum workshop hosted by .neworleans and at Gaudet Hall, 1224 North Dorgenois from 6-8. We got to know Weedie when we began working with on Tukki. Alune told us he had a friend he met while playing festivals around the world who would help us with the project, and he was right. Weedie, you have such a big heart. In honor of your soon-to-be birthday, we put together a few moments from our time together during the New African Orleans festival. We love you. Welcome home and see you soon. Lead photo by

04/04/2026

The rehearsal yesterday for our New African Orleans festival! Today is the day! It’s beautiful outside and we are looking forward to celebrating with you from 4:30 to 10:30 … tickets available at the link in our bio or at the door…