World Acadian Congress anticipates 40,000 visitors

Communities in the Acadian Peninsula in northeastern New Brunswick are set to welcome over 40,000 visitors during the World Acadian Congress that started today.

The Congress is the largest gathering of Acadians worldwide and runs for three weeks. Sylvio Rioux lives in Shippagan and has his house and yard decorated with more than 300 Acadian flags. The family is displaying their pride in being Acadian and welcoming visitors. "I think they're going to be proud that they're being Acadian, proud that they did survive," Rioux said. The theme of survival is strong within the Acadian culture. The Grand Dérangement in 1755 saw the British government deport all Acadians who refused to take an oath of allegiance and fight against the French. The British government destroyed homes and forcibly removed people from the colony; approximately 20,000 Acadians were deported and thousands were killed. The Acadians, after the deportation, were spread across North America and Europe; however, many returned to Atlantic Canada years later. The Acadian culture is still today evident throughout the region. Andre Pelletier, a Fredericton resident, said. "That's the only way that you can exchange ideas and grow together. For anybody who wants to succeed in life, they have to grow and not necessarily to stay at the same place," he said. Jean-Marie Nadeau is the president of the Acadian Society of New Brunswick and he came up with the idea for the Congress with more than 20 years ago. Family reunions play an important role so much so they make up the backbone of the gathering and arecomplemented by hundreds of events in the many towns and villages along the peninsula.