As a New Orleans tour guide deeply immersed in the layered histories of this city, I consider myself a lifelong student of colonialism and its enduring consequences. Before Louisiana became the 18th state of the United States, it was itself a colony—claimed in 1682 by René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle. The territory he named La Louisiane stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border, encompassing land that would eventually become Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, the Dakotas, and parts of Minnesota, New Mexico, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado.

Colonialism, in its starkest form, is the act of European powers seizing foreign lands, displacing or erasing native populations, importing enslaved Africans, and exploiting stolen resources. This, in short, is Louisiana’s foundational history. The legacy of that violence remains with us, refracted through modern-day imperialism and ongoing social injustice.

I hold deep respect for scholars who interrogate colonialism with nuance and courage, and whose work offers a roadmap for reversing its dehumanizing effects. Two touchstones I return to time and again are Frantz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth and Walter Rodney’s How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. These works serve as both mirror and lantern—challenging my understanding while illuminating new paths forward.

The first ship carrying enslaved Africans to Louisiana was L’Aurore in 1719. Its arrival marked the beginning of a brutal era in which human beings were commodified—bred, exploited, and sold like livestock. France, having secured a concession to purchase enslaved people from Gorée Island off the coast of Dakar, Senegal, soon colonized Senegal itself. As France drained her colonies of wealth and autonomy, it also exported her people to the so-called New World—including Louisiana.

Walter Rodney masterfully exposes this pattern: the systemic underdevelopment of African nations through European conquest. His work reveals how the mechanisms of colonialism—then and now—are embedded in political, economic, and cultural systems that continue to oppress.

Alongside books, I turn to film for insight and reflection. This weekend offered a rare gift: the Patois Film Festival. For someone who loves cinema, studies the colonial roots of modern institutions, and believes deeply in the power of human rights, Patois is both sanctuary and symposium.

Patois—pronounced Pa’twä—is New Orleans’ International Human Rights Film Festival. Since its founding in 2004 by local artists and activists, the festival has served as a vital space for dialogue, resistance, and creative expression. It bridges art and justice, past and present, global and local.

When I saw that the festival was screening a documentary about Walter Rodney, I didn’t hesitate. I secured my ticket for Walter Rodney: What They Don’t Want You to Know immediately. The film, directed by Arlen Harris and Daniyal Harris-Vajda, traces Rodney’s life—from his birth in Guyana to his organizing work in Africa and the Caribbean, and ultimately to his assassination, a consequence of his unrelenting resistance to colonialism’s cruel legacies.

The documentary is expansive in scope and spirit, weaving together interviews and archival footage from Guyana, Barbados, Jamaica, Tanzania, the United States, and the United Kingdom. It paints a vivid portrait of a man who believed in unity, dignity, and the power of the people.

A post-screening discussion featured Timeless, a leading scholar on Walter Rodney. The conversation was lively, critical, and deeply moving. Audience members wrestled with the film’s themes and offered practical ways we might honor Rodney’s legacy in our communities today.

To top it off, the screening took place at the Broad Theater—my favorite cinema in the city. It felt like the perfect venue for an evening of collective reflection and inspiration.

Though this year’s Patois Film Festival has ended, its impact lingers. If you’ve never attended, I urge you to go next year. Follow Patois on Instagram to stay updated on future films and events.

In the spirit of deepening our understanding and challenging colonial narratives,

Eric Gabourel
Your New Orleans Tour Guide

Reckoning with Empire: An Evening of Walter Rodney at the Patois Film Festival