Vive l’Acadie: Thousands expected to gather in Southwest N.S., for Congrés mondial acadien

Acadians living in various part of the world will gather in Southwestern Nova Scotia for nine days of celebrations in August.

The 2024 Congrés mondial acadien (CMA) will bring thousands of people to the municipalities of Clare, Yarmouth and Argyle from August 10 to 18.

“We’re really hoping that the Congrés mondial acadien showcases all of what we have here,” says Renee Meuse Bishara, a member of the CMA organizing committee. “We’re kind of in a special little corner of the world where the Acadian culture is alive. We live it every day.”

The CMA is held once every five years. In the past, it has taken place in various locations with an Acadian connection, such as New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Louisiana and Maine. Nova Scotia last hosted the Congrés 20 years ago, in 2004.

“In 2004 we had a group that came from Manitoba, of Amirault’s, and it was just like we knew them all along,” explains Kathy Bourque, a family reunion organizer. “There was a connection.”

Family reunions are big part of the CMA celebration. Gatherings will be held around the region.

Kathy Bourque and Ina Amirault are part of the committee that’s organizing the Founding Families of the Pubnicos reunion . Those families include the Amirault’s, d’Eon’s and d’Entremont’s.

They, along with many other family reunion planning committees, have a number of special activities organized, such as welcome receptions, dinners, kitchen parties and much more.

“I think the genealogy information is something that people really look for when they come to a family reunion,” adds Ina Amirault. “Because some of them will know, you know, their parents and maybe their grandparents, but after that they might not. And that’s the information that the [Acadian] museum will have.”

With only a few weeks left to go until celebrations begin, many in the region are busy preparing, including performer and artistic director Yvette d’Entremont.

“Music and the arts is part of the culture,” she says. “It’s who we are, and it’s one way that we express ourselves. And it’s an enjoyable way through song and dance and stories.”

Visitors and locals alike will be able to catch d’Entremont’s performance on Aug. 18 in Wedgeport, N.S.

But that’s not all. Her musical ‘La Voix de la Mer’, which translates to, “the voice of the sea”, will be presented in Tusket, N.S., on Aug. 11.

“They’re going to be able to see, you know, what it’s like to live by the sea,” she explains. “Hopefully it will be realistic, so that people get the gist to how important the sea is to us and that voice that calls to us, la voix de la mer, the voice of the sea.”

The CMA’s official opening festival will take place on Saturday Aug. 10 at Université Sainte-Anne in Church Point, N.S.

Organizers expect about 30,000 people to enjoy the CMA, with a large crowd enjoying National Acadian Day festivities planned for Yarmouth on Aug. 15.

“I hope that they really enjoy themselves,” says Meuse Bishara. “That they get to feel a sense of pride for possibly their own Acadian roots, or just to have a better appreciation or understanding of the Acadian culture overall.”

Meuse Bishara encourages everyone who is able to visit Southwestern Nova Scotia during the nine days of celebrations to enjoy the local cultures, traditions and over 400 years of Acadian history.

For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.