Economic implications aside, Mardi Gras 2006 was a success for South Louisiana. From the rural Mardi Gras festivities in Acadiana to the scaled-back “big city” celebration in New Orleans, this year’s Mardi Gras was about more than chasing chickens and catching beads. It was an opportunity for South Louisiana to show the rest of the world the strength of our spirit and the uniqueness of our culture.
True, the turnout for the Crescent City’s first Mardi Gras since Hurricane Katrina was well below the usual 1 million revelers; attendance was estimated by the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corp. to be approximately 350,000. The low attendance won’t translate into the huge economic shot in the arm for New Orleans that many were desperately hoping for.
But, the success of this year’s Mardi Gras shouldn’t be measured by attendance numbers or tax receipts. By all accounts, this smaller crowd was a high-spirited one. The mere fact that we once doubted if Mardi Gras would happen this year or ever again made the faithful revelers thankful to be a part of the world-renowned New Orleans carnival experience.
New Orleans put its best face forward, and it wasn’t lacking for media coverage. Instead of the world seeing New Orleans as a city full of greedy looters, chaos and gaffed prone leaders, the world saw New Orleans at its best.
The day-long media spotlight also provided a perfect opportunity for our leaders to explain to the rest of the nation why they should care about the fate of the city.
“Look, this is an important city for America,” said Rep. Bobby Jindal (R-La) of New Orleans in a nationally televised interview with CNN on Mardi Gras day. “Economically, 30 percent of the oil and gas. You know, the country’s largest ports are down here. When you look at not only economically, culturally, historically at a city that contributes so much to America’s cuisine, musical, history, culture, this is a very important city.”
The spotlight also inevitably shined on the darkness of the city’s seemingly endless struggle. Six months have passed since Katrina made landfall Aug. 29. Still, little over a third of the structures in the city have electricity, hundreds of thousands of people are displaced, jobs and opportunities remain scarce and the city sits below sea-level with inadequate levee protection with no federal commitment to improve them.
Much of the good will many had for New Orleans in the days after Katrina has evaporated, but there remains much to do.
The positive media exposure brought by this year’s Mardi Gras celebration was desperately needed to help build the political will that is vital to rebuilding New Orleans and the rest of coastal Louisiana in the years to come.
Unfortunately, the national media and many others seem to have forgotten about those who were ravaged by Hurricane Rita just a couple hundred miles southwest of New Orleans.
The rural celebrations in Southwest Louisiana lacked the media spotlight, but these rugged and tested people celebrated with no less fervor and spirit than those in New Orleans.
Acadiana’s native daughter, Gov. Kathleen Blanco, even seems to have little concern for her Cajun brethren in favor of New Orleans. Her recently-called special session did little for the victims of Rita. It was clear from the opening day of session, which Blanco moved from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, that the focus would be upon those in the southeastern part of the state.
Both Katrina and Rita wrecked the lives of those they encountered and victims of both deserve equal treatment and concern. Nevertheless, Rita’s victims will no doubt benefit from any good will created through the media coverage of a successful New Orleans Mardi Gras.
Mardi Gras is over and the Lenten season has arrived. The time for celebration is over; the time to for work and sacrifice is here again. We must now return to the momentous task of rebuilding all of our great state. Hopefully, the time we spent celebrating will make it a little easier to accomplish that task.
 
Jason is a second year law student. Contact him at [email protected]