Screening: New Orleans Music in Exile

Irma Thomas

The Institute for Critical U.S. Studies invites you to join Mark Anthony Neal, Associate Professor of African and African American Studies, and Darrell Stover, cultural historian and poet, (see bios below) for dinner and a screening of New Orleans Music in Exile,followed by conversation about Hurricane Katrina's continued impact on culture and community in New Orleans.

Tuesday, March 27th,
7:30-10
Duke University
The Mary Lou Williams Center
(201 West Union Building)

New Orleans Music in Exile is a 112 minute documentary by music documentarian Robert Mugge that explores the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina on the music community of New Orleans. Robert Mugge creates an emotional portrait of horror, heartbreak, and hope as the musicians who lived through the disaster pick up the pieces and try to rebuild their lives. New Orleans artists comment on how broken levees, flood, looting, and black mold wreaked havoc on music and life in this colorful city. Film includes commentary from Dr. John, Cyril Neville, Kermit Ruffins, Irma Thomas and members of Cowboy Mouth, The Iguanas, and the Rebirth Brass Band. New Orleans Music in Exile had its East Coast premiere at the 2006 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.

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Darrell Stover is a cultural historian and poet who has been living in Cary, NC since 1996. He works as the Cultural Arts Program Specialist at the Page-Walker Arts and History Center for the Town of Cary. In that capacity he is responsible for special events programming such as Diwali, Kwanzaa, the MLK Dreamfest, Festival Ritmo Latino and a diverse array of courses and lectures. He previously worked in Durham, NC for 5 years as the Program Director at the Hayti Heritage Center for the St. Joseph's Historic Foundation where he was responsible for the Bull Durham Blues Festival, Black Diaspora Film Festival, ARTSQUEST Summer Camp, Raise-A-Reader/Tinker Toy Theatre, Poetry Power and presented other programs on the history and culture of African Americans and our African rootedness.

Mark Anthony Neal is Associate Professor of Black Popular Culture in the Department of African and African American Studies and Director of the Institute for Critical U.S. Studies (ICUSS).