Luther Gray:
Keeping the Spirit
and Culture of
Africa Alive
By Dean M. Shapiro
Unlike most of the people profiled on these pages, Luther Gray
was not born and raised in New Orleans. However, in the 37
years he has lived in the Crescent City he has accomplished more
objectives and gifted more to the community than many who have
spent their entire lives here.
Arriving in New Orleans in 1982 from his native Chicago, Luther
became one of the founders of Percussion, Inc. which morphed
into Bamboula 2000, an African-style music and dance experience
rooted in Congo Square that still performs today, keeping alive the
culture and traditions of its origin. Then, in 1989, he co-founded
the still-existing Congo Square Preservation Society, which also
preserves much of the culture that Africans brought to America
during the slavery era.
Most recently, and for the 19th consecutive year, Luther was
one of the principal coordinators for the series of Maafa commemorative
events, memorializing victims and descendants of the
transatlantic slave trade. The annual observance, capped off by
a second-line procession from Congo Square to the Mississippi
Riverfront, is organized by the Ashé Cultural Center where Luther
serves as Coordinator of Community and Cultural Programs.
How does he do all this? “I almost don’t know, myself,” Luther
humbly answers. “There’s so much to be done and someone needs
to do it. So much of our heritage that needs to be remembered and
preserved for today and the generations to come.”
Born into and raised in a musical family, Luther began playing
African drums even before leaving his Chicago roots. After
completing college and receiving his B.A. and M.A. degrees from
two branches of the University of Wisconsin, he applied for work
with AT&T’s Illinois Bell and was told there was a hiring freeze
going on. However, there were job openings in several Southern
cities and he chose New Orleans, a move he attributes to “destiny.”
As he explains, “My father was a musician in Chicago and ironically,
during World War II, he was in the segregated Army Band
and was stationed at Jackson Barracks in New Orleans. He had
passed away just a year before I moved here, so I think - from the
Ancestor World - my father’s spirit led me here.”
Having previously read about Congo Square and the role it
played for slaves socializing on Sundays in the pre-Civil War era
and how the African-based music performed there later evolved
into jazz, Luther paid a visit to the square soon after his arrival.
He was in disbelief over what he didn’t find there.
“I expected things to be happening in Congo Square and I was
surprised,” Luther said. “It was quiet and peaceful, like when you
go to church but there’s no mass going on. There was nothing.”
That phase didn’t last long once Luther sized up the situation
and decided what needed to be done. “I met drummers and dancers
and we formed groups and started playing there together,” he said.
“And that’s how we got into teaching drumming in Congo Square
and starting the preservation organization.”
So, what began as just a handful of percussionists playing drums
in rhythms they had picked up over the years, emerged into a
30-year tradition of Sunday afternoon drumming, dancing and
instruction in both cultural arts forms. Three decades later, Luther
still goes out there nearly every Sunday with ten of his own drums
on which he teaches those who don’t have their own.
“We have children, adults, senior citizens; a lot of people from
all around the world who are coming to Congo Square on Sundays
now that the word is out,” Luther proudly stated. “The hotels and
tour companies are sending people there."
The drummers are joined by dancers from Bamboula 2000 and
the Silhouette Dance Company, Luther said, adding that after the
drumming, dancing and singing, “libations are poured in memory
of the ancestors.” (Admission is free and open to the public: donations
requested.)
Yet another tradition Ashé has created for Maafa, with Luther’s
assistance, is that of the Grand Griot, a knowledgeable storyteller
who knows the histories, traditions and folklore of the African
homelands and relates them to an audience, accompanied by
indigenous music.
Regarding future initiatives, Luther said Ashé is hopeful of
PHOTOGRAPHY BY AB SYKES PHOTOGRAPHY
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