Farming the Wetlands of Old Acadie (Acadian Museum, Erath, Louisiana)

Erath. Sat 3/27/2010 at 1:00 PM
Acadian Museum, 203 South Broadway, St. Landry Parish (Louisiana)

The Center for Cultural & Eco-Tourism presents "Farming the Wetlands of Old Acadie: A Permanent Museum Exhibit and Symposium Exploring the Ecology and Cultural Traditions of Early Acadians," at 1 p.m. March 27 at the Acadian Museum, 203 South Broadway, Erath. Developed in 2006 at LSU, the exhibit explores the ecological backdrop and agricultural innovations of the early Acadian settlers during the seventeenth century. This bilingual exhibit will have a permanent home at the Acadian Museum. It illustrates the historical significance of the Acadian farmers, the science behind their farming methods, as well as the ecology of the Nova Scotian landscape. The exhibit also includes coastal restoration projects currently functioning in former Acadian territory. The exhibit traveled throughout southwest Louisiana in 2007 and will now be installed in the Acadian Room of the Acadian Museum in Erath, Louisiana. In conjunction with the new exhibit, the museum will host an afternoon symposium Saturday, March 27, 2010, beginning at 1pm at Bonne Soirée, one door down from the Acadian Museum, located at 209 S. Broadway St.

The symposium features presentations by UL Lafayette anthropologist Dr. Ray Brassieur, coastal ecologist Dr. Whitney Broussard, as well as keynote speaker Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray of Mount Allison University, Canada and a roundtable discussion with local farmers, soil scientists, and cultural geographers. Following t he symposium will be a Grand Opening of the exhibit at 4pm at the Acadian Museum. Music and refreshments will be provided. Entry to all events is free and open to the public.

This event is brought to you by the Center for Cultural and Eco-Tourism through support from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. The original 2006 exhibit was compiled by graduate students Whitney Broussard, Melissa Baustian, Russell Fielding, and Jenn Lasseigne. They traveled through Nova Scotia and New Brunswick studying the ecology of the salt marshes surrounding the Bay of Fundy, the historical use of the salt marshes for agriculture by early Acadians, how the land use has shifted over the past 300 years following the deportation of the Acadians, and how present-day restoration techniques are being applied to these marshes.

Acadian Museum website: http://www.acadianmuseum.com/

Journée Internationale de la Francophonie

Le 20 mars 2010, l’Organisation internationale de la Francophonie fêtera ses 40 ans, sous le signe de "La diversité au service de la paix" et de la solidarité avec le peuple haïtien.

Ce 40e anniversaire sera célébré par un programme plurielqui sera marqué par la réception le 20 mars à l’Elysée, à l’invitation du Président de la République française, du Secrétaire général de la Francophonie et des représentants de la communauté francophone à Paris, et par une cérémonie le 19 mars dans les salons de l’Hôtel de villeà Paris. Il se prolongera jusqu’à la tenue du XIIIe Sommet de la Francophonie à Montreux (Suisse) du 22 au 24 octobre 2010.

Ce programme sera enrichi de tous les événements que vous organiserez, vous francophones de tous les continents, car comme le dit Abdou Diouf dans le message qu’il vous adresse "si la Francophonie a pu résister à l’épreuve du temps, si elle a su se régénérer et se réformer tout en restant elle-même, c’est grâce à l’engagement militant de toutes celles et de tous ceux qui l’ont fidèlement servie et promue, tout au long de ces quarante ans, mais c’est aussi grâce à la langue et aux valeurs qui nous fédèrent".

Le programme :
http://www.20mars.francophonie.org/Le-40e-anniversaire-de-l-OIF-en-2010