The Acadian World Congress, or Le Congrès Mondial Acadien, is a festival of Acadian and

Cajun The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the U.S. state of Louisiana. While Cajuns are usually described as ...

culture and history, held every five years. It is also informally known as the ''Acadian Reunion''. Its creator was André Boudreau (1945-2005).

History

An earlier series of Acadian national conventions ( :fr:) occurred from 1881 to 1979 in the Atlantic Canada region of

Acadia Acadia (french: link=no, Acadie) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the The Maritimes, Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. During much of the 17t ...

1994 World Congress

The first World Congress took place from August 12, 1994 to August 22, 1994 in Moncton and in nine other communities in southeastern New Brunswick, including,

Bouctouche Bouctouche is a Canadian town in Kent County, New Brunswick. History Bouctouche was originally named Tjipogtotjg (pronounced ''Chebooktoosk''), a Mi'kmaq word meaning "Great Little Harbour". The region was next settled by brothers Francois L ...

Shediac Shediac (official in both languages; ''Shédiac'' is colloquial French) is a heavily Acadian town in Westmorland County, New Brunswick. The town is home to the famous Parlee Beach and is known as the "Lobster Capital of the World". It hosts ...

, Saint-Joseph,

Richibucto Richibucto is a town in Kent County, New Brunswick, Canada. Geography The town is situated on the Richibucto River where it discharges into the Northumberland Strait. History Richibucto had been the location of an annual Mi'kmaq summer coas ...

, Cap-Pelé,

Dieppe, New Brunswick Dieppe () is a city in the Canadian maritime province of New Brunswick. Statistics Canada counted the population at 28,114 in 2021, making it the fourth-largest city in the province. Dieppe's history and identity goes back to the eighteenth ...

, Saint-Antoine, Rogersville, Saint-Louis-de-Kent and Saint Thomas. Conferences, shows and family reunions were on the program. The number of participants was estimated at more than 200,000. The official opening ceremony took place on August 13, 1994 at Aboiteau Beach in Cap-Pelé, in the presence of Jean Chrétien, the Prime Minister of Canada,

Boutros Boutros-Ghali Boutros Boutros-Ghali (; , ar, بطرس بطرس غالي ', ; 14 November 1922 – 16 February 2016) was an Egyptian politician and diplomat who served as the sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) from 1992 to 1996. An academic ...

, Secretary General of the UN,

Frank McKenna Francis Joseph McKenna (born January 19, 1948) is a Canadian businessman and former politician and diplomat. He is currently Deputy Chairman of the Toronto-Dominion Bank. He served as Canadian Ambassador to the United States from 2005 to 2006 ...

, Premier of New Brunswick, Alfred Siefer-Gaillardin, Ambassador of France to Canada,

Claude Ryan Claude Ryan, (January 26, 1925 – February 9, 2004) was a Canadian journalist and politician. He was the director of the newspaper ''Le Devoir'' from 1964 to 1978, leader of the Quebec Liberal Party from 1978 to 1982, National Assembly of Q ...

, Minister of Municipal Affairs of Quebec and

Antonine Maillet Antonine Maillet, (; born May 10, 1929) is an Acadian novelist, playwright, and scholar. She was born in Bouctouche, New Brunswick, Canada."Antonine Maillet." ''Paroles d'Acadie : Anthologie de la littérature acadienne (1958-2009)'', edited by ...

, writer. The song, "Sommet des femmes en Acadie" was organized by the Fédération des Dames d'Acadia. The 1994 Acadian World Congress was recognized by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

as an activity of the World Decade for Cultural Development (1988-1997). The president and founder of this first congress was André Boudreau, native of Nigadoo, New Brunswick.

1999 World Congress

The second congress was held from July 31, 1999 to August 15, 1999 in several parishes in

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, including,

Terrebonne Terrebonne, meaning ''good earth'' in French, is a name of several places in North America: ;Canada *Terrebonne, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal ** Terrebonne station, a commuter railway station in Terrebonne, Quebec **Terrebonne City Council, the go ...

Lafayette Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to: People * Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette * House of La Fayette, a French noble family ** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757� ...

, East Baton Rouge. The 1999 event featured the reunions of over 80 Acadian families, three major concerts (Houma, Oak Alley Plantation, and Lafayette Cajundome), and academic conferences centered on economics, culture, women's issues, genealogy and genetics. The President and executive director of the 1999 event was Brian Gabriel Comeaux of Lafayette, Louisiana.

2004 World Congress

The third Congress took place from July 31, 2004 to August 15, 2004 in several

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

regions in the ancestral

region including Clare, Chéticamp, Grand-Pré, and

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...

. The Congress took place during the 400th anniversary of Acadia, for which there was also a program during the year. The theme song was "Je reviens au Berceau de l'Acadie" by Grand Dérangement and Carole Daigle. The Official Opening took place on July 31 at

Université Sainte-Anne Université Sainte-Anne is a French-language university in Pointe-de-l'Église, Nova Scotia, Canada. It and the Université de Moncton in New Brunswick are the only French-language universities in the Maritime Provinces. History It was found ...

and was centered around the theme of the return to ancestral lands. It was followed by cooking parties in halls throughout the southwest of the province. The program included conferences, family gatherings, a "festival of festivals", and a mass. The August 15th mega-show took place on the

Halifax Citadel Citadel Hill is a hill that is a National Historic Site in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Four fortifications have been constructed on Citadel Hill since the city was founded by the English in 1749, and were referred to as Fort George—but only ...

, a place of imprisonment during the

deportation of the Acadians The Expulsion of the Acadians, also known as the Great Upheaval, the Great Expulsion, the Great Deportation, and the Deportation of the Acadians (french: Le Grand Dérangement or ), was the forced removal, by the British, of the Acadian peo ...

. The Congress President was

Allister Surette Allister Wilbert Surette (born September 21, 1961) is a Canadian politician and currently the President and Vice-Chancellor of Université Sainte-Anne. He represented the electoral district of Argyle in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 19 ...

and the Executive Director was Vaughne Madden.

2009 World Congress

The fourth congress took place in the Acadian Peninsula in northeastern New Brunswick from August 7, 2009 to August 23, 2009. The opening ceremony took place in the region of

Lamèque Lamèque is an unincorporated community in Gloucester County, New Brunswick, Canada. It held town status prior to 2023. Of Amerindian rather than French origin, "Lamèque" comes from the Micmac Elmugwadasik, a descriptive reference to the fact ...

Shippagan Shippagan is a Canadian town within Shippegan Parish, Gloucester County, New Brunswick. The parish retains the original English spelling, while the town officially adopted the colloquial French spelling on 1 July 1981. Shippagan was great ...

- Miscou, while the closing ceremony was held in the region of

Tracadie-Sheila Tracadie-Sheila ( ) is a former town in Gloucester County, New Brunswick, Canada. It is now part of the Regional Municipality of Tracadie. History Demographics Population Language Tourism and culture Located on the Acadian Peninsula ...

and

Neguac Neguac is a Canadian village in Northumberland County, New Brunswick. Geography Situated on the north shore of Miramichi Bay at the southern end of the Acadian Peninsula, the village is located 44 kilometres northeast of Miramichi. Approxima ...

. The theme song was "Enfin retrouvés" by Daniel Léger. The Congress President was Jean-Guy Rioux and the managing director was Robert Frenette.

2014 World Congress

The fifth Congress was held along the Canada–United States border, co-hosted by

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

's Aroostook County in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and its neighbouring counties in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

( Témiscouata in Quebec, and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Madawaska and Restigouche in New Brunswick). The Congress President was Émilien Nadeau the general director was Léo-Paul Charest.

2019 World Congress

The 2019 Congress was held from August 10, 2019 to August 24, 2019 on

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

and in southeastern

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

, with its central events held in Summerside. The Congress' vision was to promote a contemporary Acadia through its urbanity, its rurality and its cooperation. The kick-off was launched at Abram-Village, Prince Edward Island during a night run on the

Confederation Bridge The Confederation Bridge (french: Pont de la Confédération) is a box girder bridge carrying the Trans-Canada Highway across the Abegweit Passage of the Northumberland Strait, linking the province of Prince Edward Island with the province of Ne ...

. The closing concert took place in Shediac, New Brunswick. The Congress President was Claudette Thériault and the general director was Vaughne Madden.

2024 World Congress

The 2024 Congress is planned to be held in the municipalities of Argyle and Clare in southwestern

References

External links

2014 Acadian World Congress
{{Acadia Cajun Acadian culture Festivals in Louisiana Festivals in New Brunswick Festivals in Nova Scotia Festivals in Maine Cultural festivals in the United States Cultural festivals in Canada