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Donald J Savoie on l'Acadie of New Brunswick, and the upcoming Acadian National Congress
Canadian history is wrought with the stories of groups of people who have survived hardship and discrimination, only to come out stronger and prouder after years of social justice struggles. One of Canada’s most interesting stories is that of the Acadians of Atlantic Canada. Beginning this week throughout New Brunswick’s Acadian peninsula is the Acadian World Congress (Congrès Mondial Acadien), which will celebrate Acadian culture and commemorate the events of the past.
Descendants of the earliest French settlers, they settled in and around eastern Quebec and the Maritime provinces until the Seven Years War, when the British expelled three quarters of the Acadian population out of the area, destroying their homes and farmland behind them. Some were brought back to France, while others moved to Louisiana, where they now make up the Cajun population. Many later returned to New Brunswick, populating the rural counties and small towns of the province. The isolation of so many of these communities has meant that the Acadian culture and language is distinct from that of francophone Quebec or contemporary France.
But as rich as they are in culture, language and pride, Acadians didn’t have access to much of Canada’s opportunities until the last few decades, when Acadian leaders fought for language rights, equal access to social services and employment, and for the construction of the Université de Moncton and other centers for Acadian education. It was changes like these that helped Acadian Donald Savoie to become a respected political analyst, author, and academic, along with people such as writer Antonine Maillet, former Governor General Roméo Leblanc, and Premier Peter John Veniot.
In his most recent book, I’m from Bouctouche, Me, (also available in French as Moi, je suis de Bouctouche), Savoie recounts growing up in small town New Brunswick to working on Parliament Hill. Along the way he illuminates the history and experiences of contemporary Acadians- and it’s just in time for the Acadian World Congress. People are already getting ready, celebrating Savoie’s story, along with others, with a recent article and excerpts from the book in the Telegraph Journal and an interview on CBC Maritime Noon.
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