Malheureusement, Louisiana has lost the bid for the 2014 Congrès Mondial Acadien
to the Acadian communities of northern Maine and Canada. The bid by Acadia Land and Forests was unanimously chosen by the CMA committee. The Acadia Land and Forest region was described in an April press release as:
The region of Acadia Land and Forests is truly international. Uniting people of Aroostook, Maine, with the north-western New Brunswick and Temiscouata County, Quebec, gives the region of Acadia Land and Forest a unique character that cannot be claimed by any other Acadian regions of the world. The territory of Acadia Land and Forest extends over two countries, two provinces, one state, five counties, and more than 50 municipalities and community groups and includes 100,000 inhabitants.
A small crowd of Cajun activists gathered at Vermilionville this morning to watch the announcement via skype. There was a palpable tension in the room before the announcement, followed by visible disappointment. Mayor Joey Durel rallied his troops. “If there is one thing Cajuns know,” he said, “it is how to deal with adversity.” Durel promised that all the hard work on the bid would not go for naught. “We will do something in 2012 to bring the Acadians here.”