Meet Your Tour Guides

Owner, Tour Guide

Malika

Malika’s passion is sharing the history and folklore of Southern Louisiana. This passion has been the wellspring of inspiration for most of her performance work since 2016.

Malika is an Isefa in Ifa, an Olorisa of Oya upon completion of initiation at Temple Yemoja in Ibadan, Nigeria, and a High Priestess of Louisiana Plantation Vodou. She has been an eclectic Conjurer since she began praying to the moon at 14 years old. Malika has read tarot cards and pendulums since 1999, and playing cards (used in hoodoo, as well as her particular branch of Louisiana Plantation Voodoo/Vodou) since 2021.

Malika holds a B.A. in Arts Management-Music from Bennett College in Greensboro, NC (HBCU PRIDE!), and a Master’s in Music Education, focused in Choral Conducting and Ethnomusicology from Georgia State. Her favorite tours to give are “all of them”, though when pressed, it is the Voodoo/Vodou tour that is at the top of her list. It’s her first suggestion for anyone interested in learning about the roots of New Orleans spirituality.

Malika also offers card readings via Oracle, tarot, and playing cards. To request a reading, click the button below.

Tip Malika

Tour Guide

Dartanya

Dartanya Croff is a New Orleans–based artist and licensed tour guide with Anansi’s Daughters, where she brings African diasporic history, Black women’s stories, and ancestral traditions to life through immersive walking tours.

Grounded in her practice as a fiber and visual artist, Dartanya approaches history as something lived, felt, and remembered—connecting folklore, spirituality, and place. Her tours invite guests to experience New Orleans through the voices, resilience, and creativity of Black communities, past and present.

Tip Dartanya

Tour Guide

LaToya

LaToya Papillion is an Afro-Indigenous Creole Louisiana native and seasoned wedding professional who brings over a decade of life and storytelling experience in New Orleans to every tour. With a background rooted in crafting unforgettable moments, her work with couples has been featured in wedding publications like Vogue, Brides, and Martha Stewart Weddings.

LaToya leads tours that go beyond the surface, allowing guests to deeply connect with the magic of New Orleans and its untold stories. Her storytelling style celebrates the vibrant spirit of the city while honoring its complexity and resilience. Whether talking about fun pieces of local folklore, sharing hidden gems, or discussing cultural traditions and history, LaToya creates experiences that will inspire a lasting appreciation for New Orleans!