Hexing a Hurricane

Six weeks before Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, Voodoo priestess Sally Ann Glassman led a Hurricane Protection Ceremony in the Ninth Ward, the proceedings of which open Jeremy Campbell's documentary Hexing a Hurricane. It's not what many viewers would expect: nearly all of the practitioners, including Glassman, are white, and the rituals are benign, evoking both Catholic and Voodoo entities for protection. Voodoo, Glassman says, is an affirming religion about survival, and that spirit of survival is what Hexing a Hurricane focuses on as it transitions to New Orleans four months after Katrina. Interviews with New Orleans residents reveal many facets of the disaster (we see people returning home for the first time only to discover rotting walls and ruined possessions), all of which point to the need to rebuild and beef up protection of the city from future hurricanes. Chris Rose, columnist for The Times-Picayune and author of 1 Dead in Attic, believes that stories about Katrina and its consequences will be front page material for his newspaper for the next 10-15 years, while New Orleans cultural ambassador Irving Mayfield holds up Louis Armstrong as an example, saying “I think that he would want us to use our resources as a celebratory tool to rebuild.” A montage contrasts neighborhoods that have rebounded with those that remain wastelands, depicting a city that is still struggling to survive long after the storm has passed. Hexing a Hurricane avoids the complex racial, political, and economic issues that have mired the recovery process, but it does serve as a welcome reminder that a once vibrant American city still needs our help. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (J. Wadland)