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SEEDS In The Wind is an intense saga that
depicts research by three romantic African Americans: Tanya, an educator, Paul,
a doctoral student, and Caldwell, a lay minster of a parish church. They
uncover pre-Bienville (1565) "records," collaborating with stories les
vieux mondes tell about "Louisiana" when linguistic
Christian West Africans from five nations, spoke French "the international
trade language" as well as Wolof and "Falani." These West
Africans are former associates of Alfonso, King of the Congo, known to Pope Leo
X; (who ordained a group of young Congolese men, priests, also the king's son,
Henrique, Bishop.)
The West Africans travelled on their own ships to the
"new territory;" and named it for their mother countries: New Mali, New
Congo, New Algeria, New Senegal, and New Iberia "compounds." They
communicated through "talking drums;" cultivated self-supporting
agricultural planting stations; and built busilage shelters and wood mansions that
withstood drastic climate and weather changes.
After 100 years, a minority of West African
Planters began to seek profits. They established plantations with family labor, then
"bond labor." They adapted African labor skills to European
"Slavic forced labor," (the origin of the word, slave). By 1830 1,000
Black masters were owners of 3,000 slaves, while millions of African settlers
and Caribbeans retained ancient agriculture. They "walked off" the
plantations with gens des coleurs (people of color) identity, before European
families arrived in 1832, 1836, and thereafter... Irish, French, Cajuns,
English, Germans, Italians... provoked Planter les codes noires (black codes)
and La Belle Quateroon (Quadroon Ball).
The originally West African territorial names were changed.
"New Congo" became New Orleans, "New Algeria," became
Algiers, "New Mali," Mis'sipi. "Senegal" and Sene-Gambia became the site of Pointe Coupee Parish and False
River. Only New Iberia retained its West African title. Settlements were reduced to small towns, museums, parks...Congo Square.
Codes silenced the drums and rang the bells... to the Civil War.
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