Director / Cinematographer / Editor: Nisa East
Producer: Oliver Laughland
Production Assistant: Gigi Glenn

Revolutionary social and political artist Dread Scott initiated a re-enactment of the little-known 1811 slave rebellion in New Orleans, reviving the strength of the community as they strove towards emancipation and freedom. The performance consisted of over 300 Black and Indigenous people dressed in 19th-century clothing, travelling on horses, traversing 24 miles over two days before arriving at the destination of New Orleans. In line with Spanish philosopher George Santayana’s dictum that “those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it,” in this public performance the power of enactment told through the Black lens becomes a form of empowerment through storytelling.

Winding through old plantation country, petrochemical plants and the city of New Orleans, the Guardian followed re-enactors along the route.