CMA-Louisiane 1999 will be different from other Louisiana festivals because
all the activities will take place in several towns and cities throughout Acadiana,
the 22-parish area with the heaviest concentration of Acadian descendants. The first
CMA included seventy family reunions, a theater festival, a film festival, a Louisiana
Day, genealogical presentations, historical tours, numerous concerts and other festival-like
activities. There were also academic conferences and a plenary session of Congress members.
Included in the participants at the first CMA were an estimated 5000 Louisiana Acadians.
Large groups also came from Texas, New England and California. There were Acadian descendants
present from all of the Canadian provinces, and primarily from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick,
Prince Edward Island, and Québec. In addition, participants arrived from France, Belgium, and Japan.
As a result of the deportation of 1755, Acadians were scattered to the four corners of the globe
during the late 1700s. The thirteen American colonies, Saint-Domingue (Haiti), England,
Québec, Louisiana, France, the Falkland Islands, and New Zealand became places of exile for these
people.
The theme for the 1999 gathering of the Acadians has been chosen as "Réunion en Louisiane 1999."
The Board of Directors chose the theme to represent the essence of the Congrès Mondial
Acadien, which is to improve the links between Acadians from around the world. It also stresses
the family reunion aspect of the CMA, a major focus of the 1994 event in New Brunswick, and a
primary centerpiece of the 1999 meeting as well. The activities of CMA 1999 will be spread
across the Acadian populated regions of the state. The first week of activities will mainly
take place in the Houma-Thibodaux region east of the Atchafalaya Basin. The second week will find
meetings moving to the west and the Lafayette-Lake Charles area.
Among activities planned are family reunions for many Acadian surnames. Approximately 75 are
already in the planning stage, with more to develop. There will again be festivals of film and
theatre. A genealogical symposium is scheduled for the first week of August in Thibodaux.
Academic conferences are planned for August 11 and 12 at the University of Southwestern Louisiana,
which has become an ideal starting place for many Acadians researching their ancestry.
As part of the celebration, the Acadian Johnson Family of Johnsons and Jeansonnes is planning a Reunion for 1999 in Marksville, Louisiana on August 4, 5, 6 and August 7 in Lafayette. Information on the meetings can be found by going to our Reunion 99 page. ( Click here.) We will make every effort to keep you posted on developments and plans as they come to us. Stay tuned to this site.
For a list of SCHEDULED EVENTS of the
Congrès Mondial Acadien, please go to our EVENTS PAGE.
If you are interested in becoming a member of the Acadian Johnson Association and receiving
updated information by mail, please see the membership form and address to contact on our membership page.
We plan to offer both English and French versions of our pages. If you think you have connections to the Acadian Johnson (Jeansonne) family, please contact us by e-mail or our guestbook and we will be happy to share data with you. Come back soon!
© 1997 Ann Johnson Donovan.
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April 10, 1999.
ACADIAN JOHNSON ASSN. FRONT PAGE
SCHEDULED EVENTS - CONGRÈS MONDIAL ACADIEN
ANNOUNCEMENTS - LOUISIANA/MISSISSIPPI BRANCH
