Фестиваль Essence и Новый Орлеан приостановили соглашение после семи лет сотрудничества

Anyone who has been married for more than seven years, and certainly decades or more, knows there are times when the two of you wonder why you got married in the first place. You might eat together every time, but this time is different; you eat when you want and I’ll eat when I want. You might always pray together, but you decide to say your prayers, wishing God would change the other person. There are times when you need some space, some time to breathe, catch your breath, lower your own temperature, test the temperature in the room and tiptoe into it, remembering why you love each other. I think the Essence Festival of Culture and the City of New Orleans need some space and time. Temperatures have risen. Fingers have been pointed at each party. In some cases, gloves have come off. And certainly words that might not should have been said were said and they can’t take it back. Just like married people. The reality is for the first time in seven years, Essence and New Orleans no longer have an agreement that there will be another Essence Festival. I can’t imagine a Fourth of July weekend in New Orleans without Essence Festival. I don’t mean this literally, but we “essies” would die. Louisiana Legislative Auditor Michael Waguespack has asked New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno to take a closer look at the “uncommon arrangement” with Essence as the parties negotiate a new deal. He wants to “determine whether public funds were used in accordance with applicable agreements, law, regulations and policies.” I’m all for that. Let’s audit the way public funds were used for the NFL Super Bowl, which was millions, the Sugar Bowl, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and definitely LIV Golf, an event that didn’t even happen. Efforts have been made to get the right decision-making parties to the table for in-person, real-talk conversations. Like a marriage, they won’t move forward without honesty, airing concerns and grievances, clarifying roles and setting parameters. “I think there will be a high-quality festival next year,” one person close to the negotiations told me. Yes, but who would put it on? Maybe Essence. Maybe not. Instead of a multiple-year, five-, seven- or 10-year deal, I propose a two-year agreement. The parties involved — and we Essies and others — don’t want to see a year without Essence. Heck, Hurricane Katrina forced Essence to go to Houston in 2006, and it wasn’t the same. Essence needs to be in New Orleans, the place that birthed it, the place where its childhood and teen years allowed it to mature, the place where it came into its own as a young adult festival. It’s matured with different owner-parents, and that’s part of the problem. Having multiple parents across 30-plus years has taken some getting used to. The baby has matured, there are new parents and the grown “kid” doesn’t want the newest parents to run their life. Here’s the thing: Like in marriages and families, if you’re committed to each other, you find a way to work it out. In this case, a pause, a time to figure out a long-term future, might be exactly what we need. I’m not looking for a “Can’t we all get along” moment. I want mature, grown folk, to have a real talk about how this moves forward. Together.