June 2007
WORLD ACADIAN CONGRESS 2009
Preliminary Program
(Version 1 – June 2007)
www.cma2009.ca
We’re waiting for you… from August 7 to 23, 2009
Four major events will mark this fourth World Acadian Congress. Three days of festivities filled with symbolism organized by local citizens and honed by a team of professionals will culminate in a major show featuring artists from each of the host areas. As well, Space 2009 will be place for activities that are entertaining, educational and interactive.
From August 7-23, 2009, the Acadian Peninsula in northeastern New Brunswick, will welcome you! More than 100 communities over 2150 km2 will feature a multitude of activities that will highlight the richness and dynamic atmosphere of the host region. The entire Peninsula will be part of the largest event in the history of the area.
The World Acadian Congress (WAC) is a great gathering of Acadians and guests coming from around the world. Held every five years, the next event will be in 2009 in the Acadian Peninsula. It will be an opportunity for people from all over to get to know the area in all its diversity. Adopted Acadians and those interested in Acadie are invited to meet a welcoming people living in a very picturesque maritime environment. Events will include large public celebrations, cultural exhibits, themed and community activities, scientific and public conferences, as well as family visits and reunions. In short, the 2009 WAC will have something for every taste and all ages throughout the Acadian Peninsula.
The strengthening of these ties will be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate with friends and family, as well as an opportunity for debating common interests and exchanging ideas for building the future. The 2009 WAC in the Acadian Peninsula will be a gathering of people proud of living their culture and surrounded by magnificent coastal settings unique to the region. The summer of 2009 will really be “The summer of the Acadian Peninsula!”
Congress history
1994: First WAC held in southeastern New Brunswick and organized by the area’s nine francophone municipalities
1999: Second WAC in Louisiana
2004: Third WAC in Nova Scotia
Major events
Four major events will mark this fourth World Acadian Congress. Three days of festivities filled with symbolism will culminate in a major show featuring artists from each of the host areas. In addition, Espace 2009, a place for meeting and innovation located in the heart of the Acadian Peninsula, will be a key gathering location for all involved.
OPENING DAY: AUGUST 7
– Lamèque, Shippagan and Miscou
Acadie Welcomes
From the Acadian islands of Miscou and Lamèque to the port of Shippagan, travel across the land originally inhabited by the First Nations and cross magnificent bridges to the sounds of a symphony of decorated boats. Along your way, you’ll meet a multitude of human and cultural treasures from all over. Residents and visitors will participate in an “Acadian March” that will be both a celebration of the origins and the current vitality of the francophone people in America. An opening lunch and cultural displays will liven up this picturesque area. The day will culminate in a stage show entitled “Ocean Roots” that will feature a string of artists, the majority of whom are from this neck of Acadie.
AUGUST 15TH CELEBRATIONS, ACADIAN NATIONAL HOLIDAY
– Greater Caraquet Area
Acadie Celebrates
Preceded by a series of country-style meals at the wharf in Grande-Anse, the Village Historique Acadien and the Marina de Bas-Caraquet, the 2009 Grand Tintamarre will be a never-before-seen celebration for all of Acadie. Hosted by the Festival acadien de Caraquet in collaboration with the 2009 WAC, this great show of community street art will be enriched by the allegorical elements that strike the collective imagination. To the sounds of banging on pots and musical instruments, people in eccentric makeup and colourful costumes will make their way along the route accompanied by residents and visitors in order to express their enormous pride in Acadie. This great moment of celebration will make its way to the “Tintamarre de feux” show that will bring together some of the most renowned artists from across Acadie.
AUGUST 16-20: SPACE 2009
– Pokemouche in the centre of the Acadian Peninsula
Acadie Invents
From August 16 to 20, the Pokemouche area will host a variety of festive and interactive activities that will take place in an exterior area transformed into a site for innovation, creation and highlighting Acadie’s the can-do attitude. This physical and virtual village, which will serve as a place to meet, celebrate and entertain, has been conceived as a human and technological mosaic presenting Acadie’s strengths. Spaces dedicated to specific areas such as technology, science, economics, cuisine, arts and culture, communities, etc., will allow visitors to discover Acadian ingenuity in all its richness. While promoting the various communities on the Acadian Peninsula, Space 2009 will be above all other things a place to discover modern Acadie. Stage shows will also be presented.
CLOSING DAY: AUGUST 23
– Tracadie-Sheila – Neguac areas
Acadie Gathers
Under the theme of youth, family and spirituality, closing day will begin in the Neguac area with an incredible summer carnival. Themed pavilions will present visitors with a cultural and community experience. The day will culminate with the 2009 World Acadian Congress’ grand finale closing stage show in Tracadie-Sheila. Inspired by the area’s incredible fusion of arts and culture, a multi-faceted event will feature some of the greatest voices of Acadie through the incredibly moving images, music and songs of this francophone people. As a message sent out to the world, a call for human solidarity and peace, the “Voice of the World” stage show will be a moving voyage to the heart of the Acadian soul.
ACADIE AND ITS MOODS
Throughout the Congress, major events will take place throughout the Peninsula: visual arts, theatre, stage shows, nature activities, bicycle tours of the region, sports, school projects, radio, music, films, business meetings, etc. It will be an opportunity to discover surprising treasures.
ARTISTIC AND CULTURAL TREASURES SERIES
INVINCIBLE ROOTS (Festival des arts visuels en Atlantique – FAVA)
This visual arts exhibit will highlight the cultural heritage legacy of the First Nations people. The exhibit seeks to safeguard cultural heritage and is based on the toponymy of several towns and villages of the Maritime provinces whose names are of Mi’kmaq origin.
MARITIME SHORT PLAYS (Théâtre populaire d’Acadie and Théâtre Incliné)
Dozens of artists from all over the Acadian Peninsula will present a number of short plays inspired and written based on the area’s communities. These short plays will show a surprising artistic journey through a variety of interior and exterior locations.
SOUND AND LIGHT (Le Comité du Vieux-Couvent de Caraquet)
A series of exterior public displays will turn Caraquet into an open-air art gallery. An area around the ruins of the Vieux-Couvent is being developed into a public place suitable for gatherings. This sound and light project will communicate the history of the legends that make up part of the regional culture. Arts, culture and history for everyone!
“LA MÉTAMORPHOSE” (Théâtre populaire d’Acadie)
Four performances of this original opera written by Acadian composer Pierre Michaud will be presented in collaboration with librettist Serge Patrice Thibodeau. The original libretto was inspired by Frank Kafka’s La Métamorphose and includes an amplified orchestra of 15 musicians, a mixed choir and seven soloists.
GRAND PENINSULA CONCERT (Conservatoire de musique de l’Acadie)
A high-quality concert will be presented by new and former students and professors of the Conservatoire de musique de l’Acadie. Three performances will be held in Caraquet, Lamèque and Tracadie-Sheila. On the program: singing solos, works for small vocal ensembles, solos for violin, piano and flute.
VOIR L’ACADIE (Cojak Productions)
An Acadian filmography will be presented in Acadian Peninsula cinemas during the 2009 WAC as well as during Cinéma Café on the Space 2009 site where a wide variety of films will be shown on a continuing basis.
“ILLUMINATION 2009” MODERN ART SYMPOSIUM (Groupe Existe and Centre culturel de Caraquet)
Artists, painters, photographers, visual artists and poets will be welcomed into residences in Greater Caraquet’s towns and villages, as well as in certain businesses whose mandate is to create works of art inspired by the milieu. An exhibit of the works will be held during the Congress.
LES LAMPADAIRES DE 2009 (Groupe Existe and Centre culturel de Caraquet)
A visual arts project aimed at encouraging residents to create a collective work made up of garden lights and streetlights spread throughout the Peninsula during the Congress.
“LOUIS MAILLOUX” MUSICAL DRAMA (The four cultural societies of the Acadian Peninsula)
Thanks to significant participation by the community, the mythical musical drama “Louis Mailloux” by Jules Boudreau and Calixte Duguay will be recreated in 2009. A symbol of Acadian resistance, the young Louis Mailloux lost his life during a riot in Caraquet in 1875 when residents stood up for the right to preserve their Catholic and francophone schools.
REFERENCE GUIDE TO ACADIAN AUTHORS OR AUTHORS WHO WRITE ABOUT ACADIE (Salon du livre de la Péninsule acadienne)
Contemporary Acadian literature will be highlighted in front of all of La Francophonie through the development of a digital, themed reference guide of all Acadian publications and all authors who have written about Acadie in the past 25 years.
ACADIE, WIND IN THE SAILS (Reg Noël)
The artist will create five separate works representing a large sailing ship with two masts. During the school year, students from Peninsula schools will be invited to prepare sections of copper that will be included in the final works.
WEAVING THE ACADIAN THREAD / LET THE RUGS SPEAK (Hookeuses du Bor’de’lo)
Three major exhibits giving a contemporary boost to the art of rug hooking will be presented on the Peninsula with rug hookers from Atlantic Canada, the Gaspé and Louisiana. As well, a hooked rug project will highlight the talents of young students and artisans from New Brunswick and the richness of this old tradition.
PICTURESQUE, SPORT AND HUMAN TREASURES SERIES
TWO ISLANDS, A THOUSAND TREASURES (Acadian islands regional planning committee of the 2009 WAC (Lamèque and Miscou)
This area of the Peninsula features small and large treasures on the islands. To be highlighted will be the landscape, maritime potential, the warm hospitality of people and the talents of island communities. Those living on other local islands and who have Acadian or French roots are invited to show their own treasures.
ACADIAN PENINSULA BICYCLE TRAIL (Les amis de la véloroute de la Péninsule acadienne)
Discover the sites and tourist attractions of the Acadian Peninsula on a bicycle tour. Admire the beauty of the landscape and the local hospitality. Average daily distance travelled will be 50 km over five days.
NATURE ACTIVITIES (Philip Boucher and Marcel David / Club de naturalistes de la Péninsule acadienne)
Activities will highlight the Peninsula’s birds, flours, peat bogs and shellfish. Guided tours, hikes and workshops will encourage participants to develop an interest in the observation of nature, photography and the health of the environment. Organized tours will be organized to marshes, peat bogs, forests, coastal habitats, etc.
KITESURF (Association windsurf kiteboard Shippagan-les Îles)
Kitesurf activities will take place in different locations on the Acadian Peninsula.
YOUNG TREASURES SERIES
L’ACADÉMIE JEUNESSE INTERNATIONALE (Société des Jeux de l’Acadie)
Celebrations surrounding the 20th anniversary of the Académie jeunesse will take place during the Congress. On the menu: An educational training program in the areas of leadership and the exploration of Olympic values. This will be a training experience for the new generation of leaders in the francophone sports world and a way to strengthen the networks among the members of the international Francophonie.
RADIO ÉCOLOGIQUE 99,5 FM (L’École l’Envolée)
A radio station powered by wind energy! This will be a wonderful way to develop hosting and interview techniques among students within a spirit of collaboration. This will be an opportunity for Acadian youth to express themselves and have direct contact with the community.
Grande Jasette.Com
“L’Acadie on the move” will be the general theme of the conference portion of the 2009 World Acadian Congress. Conferences and presentations will be aimed at affirming a modern Acadie, one geared toward the future and ready to take its rightful place in the third millennium. Various forms of communication will be used to take on various subjects that will pique the interest of citizens and encourage participation, while avoiding being solely academic in tone. Participants will consider various themes, including social, cultural, economic, environmental and political. Conferences will be held throughout the Peninsula and will take on several formats, such as interactive forums with videoconferencing, online chats, artistic approaches, guided tours, displays, outdoor exhibits, research and traditional conferences.
GREAT YOUTH GATHERING – The Great Youth Gathering will be a unique event — conceived by and for young people – that will allow participants to discover Acadie as an essential part of the Canadian mosaic. Atlantic Canada’s young Acadians and francophones will experience an unforgettable identity-related experience during the World Acadian Congress. Exchanges and sharing will be encouraged among La Francophonie’s youth. Participants will have an opportunity to discover, express and celebrate their culture, as well as their Acadian and francophone pride and heritage by linking modernity to tradition during this truly dynamic event.
WOMEN’S SUMMIT – A two-day gathering will bring together Acadian and francophone women from all over (Atlantic provinces, other Acadian provinces, Louisiana, France, etc.). This will be an opportunity to exchange views on the status and condition of the lives of women and to take positions in order to bring about changes that will benefit all women.
BUSINESS EVENT – An event bringing together Acadian and francophone business leaders from New Brunswick, the Atlantic provinces, regions of France (Poitou, Normandy, Brittany, St-Pierre and Miquelon), Louisiana and other communities will take place during the World Acadian Congress. Organized by the chambers of commerce, this event will allow business people to meet during networking events, industrial tours, a business market and social activities.
ACADIE WELCOMES – The Congress will host meetings of several national and francophone organizations who will be getting together for conferences and annual general meetings.