Louisiana’s Cajun and Creole heritage will be showcased at 50th annual
Festivals Acadiens et Creoles
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[October 09, 2024]
By CHEVEL JOHNSON RODRIGUE
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana's Cajun and Creole heritage takes center
stage this weekend when the Festivals Acadiens et Creoles marks a
half-century of honoring and celebrating the culture through music,
arts, food and community.
What started as a one day concert in 1974 to entertain 150
French-speaking journalists gathered in Lafayette — considered the heart
of Cajun country — has grown into a three-day event and possibly one of
the largest Cajun and Zydeco festivals held globally, organizers said.
And, they note, the entire event is free.
Barry Jean Ancelet, one of the event's organizers, said when the idea
formed 50 years ago, nobody knew if anyone would even come out to hear
the music.
“Cajun music at that time was largely considered ‘old people’s music,'”
he said. “You've got to remember, we were in the throes of Rock ‘n’ Roll
at the time. The people here loved it when they encountered it in dance
halls, but this concert was designed to call attention to the music in a
different way, to point out its value. They had to sit — not dance — and
pay attention. And they ended up hearing it in a different way. It was
so successful. We ended up turning it into an annual event where we
could call positive attention to this important asset and get people to
consider it.”
The festival, now held annually in Lafayette's Girard Park, brings
together multi-generations of musicians and artists who annually fight
to preserve a culture that continues to evolve.
“We've always been about celebrating the past and handing it off to the
future,” Ancelet said. “If you value and respect evolution, the culture
will produce things that will continue to surprise you. It all comes out
in the wash. What's good will last and what's not, won't.”
Festival co-founder Pat Mould said the festival is a “self-celebration
of who we are, how we live, what we eat, the music and how we speak.”
“If you know nothing and want to learn about the culture, this one
weekend out of the year allows you to find out everything. Everything
you want to know is represented at the festival. It's a quick study of
Cajun and Creole living,” he said.
On tap musically for the Friday through Sunday event are performances by
60 musicians — all homegrown talent — including Steve Riley and the
Mamou Playboys, Wayne Toups, CJ Chenier, Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas,
Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band, The Revelers, Beausoleil avec
Michael Doucet and The Lost Bayou Ramblers.
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Son of the Zydeco King Clifton Chenier, C.J. Chenier holds his
father's accordion in Houston, May 29, 2006. (Ben Desoto/Houston
Chronicle via AP, File)
On Friday, contemporary artists will
pay tribute to the 1974 concert house band that included Zydeco
pioneer Clifton Chenier, Cajun accordion maker Marc Savoy, the Balfa
Brothers, a Cajun music ensemble of five brothers, Cajun accordion
players Nathan Abshire and Blackie Forrester, and Jimmy C. Newman, a
country music and Cajun singer-songwriter and long-time star of the
Grand Ole Opry.
“Get ready for Louisiana pure fun,” said Carrier, who's scheduled to
perform with his band on Sunday. “Get ready to eat some really good
food and have the time of your life."
“People all over the word have these dates circled on their
calendar," he continued. “It's an event that helps the younger
generations continue the traditions. I'm a third generation Zydeco
musician. This is a family oriented festival that brings people
together of all ages.”
Riley, who's been performing at this festival since 1988, said he
keeps returning for several reasons but especially because it helps
preserve the culture.
“It's important to see us on stage, singing and speaking in French.
That has an effect on people who come to see us and helps them fall
in love with the culture,” he said.
“There are a lot of events leading up to the weekend that focuses on
the importance of the language, the culture, the food and, of
course, the music. There's none other that celebrates it like this
one. I think it's the biggest complete celebration of everything
Cajun. It's also inclusive of different generations, bands with
lineage. That's key,” he said.
Riley, now 55, said he's very proud that his three children all play
music.
“It's a beautiful thing for my family and others like mine,” he
said. “Having your kids play with you is awesome. Most kids don't
want to have anything to do with what their parents do. Mine, think
what I do is fun and it is.”
Riley said when he first started there weren't too many young bands
playing Cajun music.
“There was real fear that the music would die off and dissipate like
the language," he recalled. “The opposite has happened. More young
folks are preserving and playing this music than ever. The Zydeco
scene down here is packed with young people. It's super vibrant and
alive. The same with the Cajun scene as well.”
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