NEWS

Cajun history recalled in 'Attakapas'

Dominick Cross
dcross@theadvertiser.com
Zachary Richard.

It was back in March and just about a week after the opening of Zachary Richard’s “Attakapas - The Story of the Cajun People” when some folks gathered around a table at the Acadiana Center for the Arts to assess the positive repercussions of the program.

“Right after Zachary premiered the show here, we both sort of took a week and then got back together and reevaluated the show,” said Gerd Wuestemann, executive director, AcA.

It was during the discussion which included Richard, Wuestemann, Festival Acadiens et Creoles’ Barry Ancelet and Pat Mould, a question arose:

“What if we bring the show back, give people the chance to see it again or see it for the first time, make the tweaks to make it even stronger?” Wuestemann said.

So the show returns and for good reasons. However, the shows are nearly sold out performances Wednesday and Thursday at the AcA, but go here for tickets.

“Everybody walked out of this thing, not just feeling like they saw a great concert, but walked out and said - and this was a uniform thing - everybody said, ‘This had to be done,’” Wuestemann recalled. “Somebody had to do this project because the story needs to be told.”

Coincidences merge in Richard's 'Attakapas' encore

Wuestemann said ‘Attakapas’ helped some local Acadian descendants become more familiar with their history so it doesn’t become just a footnote.

“People that grew up here, most of them said, ‘I kind of knew where we came from, but not really,’” said Wuestemann. “And so this really had to be done because we ourselves are in danger of forgetting.”

But other reasons were also considered in bringing back ‘Attakapas’ this week.

After all, coupled with the 41st annual FAetC, the Grand Reveil Acadien 2015, a 12-day celebration of the arrival of Acadiens along the Bayou Teche 250 years ago, was underway as well. So, between the two fetes, the history of the Cajuns comes front and center.

“This is the first time we’re partnering with Festivals Acadiens and we felt this was a great way to lead into the kick off of Festivals in the park,” Wuestemann said. “And really give a deeper understanding of what we’re really celebrating this year.”

250 years: Who were these Acadians, anyway?

In addition, at the A. Hays Town adjacent to the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum, the collected paintings by Robert Dafford, “Expulsion of the Acadians: The Epic Journey from Acadie to Louisiana,” will be up through Sunday.

At 6 p.m. Wednesday, former Louisiana Poet Laurate Darrell Bourque will present poetry from his book, “Megan's Guitar and Other Poems from Acadie,” in conjunction with Dafford's exhibition.

The AcA continues to be involved with the festival with “C’est Une Valse,” an exhibition of local artists  that exemplify the cultural heritage, and Wuestemann said, “which is a show honoring, of course, Elemore Morgan, and has a direct tie to Festivals Acadiens to the idea of Cajun landscapes, music, heritage.

“We tied together all these different elements that really enlighten us as a community, but more,” he said. “It’s not just a set of great shows that are coming together, but it really goes beyond that and gives us an opportunity to really evaluate our history, our heritage and how we still relate to that.”