In West Chezzetcook, Nova Scotia, Rébécca-Sarah Potvin highlights the significance of National Acadian Day beyond mere festivities. To her, it represents a vital effort in cultural preservation.
Potvin, the executive director of the esteemed L’Acadie de Chezzetcook historic site, emphasized the aim to expand and deepen the understanding of local history at their 30th-anniversary celebration.
The event, attended by numerous individuals, featured music, a barbecue, and demonstrations of Acadian customs such as butter churning and clam shelling. Notable figures like Canada’s Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, Marc Miller, Central Nova MP Sean Fraser, and Coun. David Hendsbee graced the occasion.
Cameron DeBaie, chair of L’Acadie Chezzetcook, underlined the 30th anniversary as a significant stride in the revival and safeguarding of Acadian heritage and the French language in Chezzetcook.
Shirley Doucette Lowe, a community member and volunteer at the Acadian House Museum in Grand Desert, reminisced about the establishment of L’Acadie Chezzetcook in 1996 and her continuous involvement in its preservation endeavors.
Doucette Lowe echoed the sentiment of a renewed zeal among the community’s younger generation, emphasizing the importance of preserving and revitalizing the language and culture within the community.
One initiative in this direction is the French school at École des Beaux-Marais in Porters Lake, which came under the administration of Conseil scolaire acadien provincial in 2011. Premier Tim Houston announced plans to construct a new school for francophone students in 2023.
Potvin noted the reintroduction of French summer camps due to concerns that francophone students were not utilizing the language during the summer break. This move aims to reinforce French language skills among the youth in the community.
DeBaie recounted his participation in a French camp in Chezzetcook 15 years ago and highlighted its recent revival. Willow DeBaie, his nine-year-old niece, expressed her eagerness to join the camp in the future and emphasized the value of multilingualism.
While the festivities of National Acadian Day are fleeting, Potvin emphasized the year-round opportunities for Nova Scotians to delve deeper into West Chezzetcook and the province’s rich Acadian history.