Louisiana is a state with a rich and diverse cultural heritage; its idiosyncratic synthesis is a mixture of influences from French, African, Spanish and American cultures. This rich amalgamation is reflected everywhere in the state, in the cuisine, the languages and the art of Louisiana. It is, however, most evident in the city of New Orleans, which has been a cultural and social melting pot since its beginnings.

Tennessee Williams’ classic play A Streetcar Named Desire, is set in New Orleans and portrays the breakdown of the traditional ‘Old South’ which is unable to bear the pressures of modernity. Anne Rice looks at the issue of race in her vivid book The Feast of All Saints which enquires into the lives of the ‘free people of colour’ in late 19th century Louisiana.

Multi-award winning film The Big Easy has, as one of its main protagonists, the oppressive atmosphere of New Orleans, which it uses as a setting for a detective story. The documentary style Louisiana Story is a black and white film about the lives of the Cajun community in Louisiana amongst the bayou swamps.

Louisiana’s mixed heritage is obvious the moment you start listening to its music; the list of which is endless: swamp blues, Cajun music, La La, Zydeco, traditional Creole music, swamp pop, Caribbean music, New Orleans Blues and, probably most famous of all, Dixieland Jazz. Louisiana was the birthplace of Louis Armstrong, Fats Domino and Jelly Roll Morton.