Well it initially started out solely as a Tribute to Cajun and Creole Music but I believe Barry Ancelet thought it would be a better idea to get two other separate festivals involved that both focused on the culture of the Cajuns, the Louisiana Native Crafts Festival and the Bayou Food Festival. Thus, Festivals Acadiens came to be.
Well, I addressed the name change in another forum I think it is interesting that Barry thought he needed to add Creole to Festival Acadien. Acadiana encompasses the residence of the area. It is not Festival de les Cajan. So why add Creole?
I hope people will understand the term "Créole" in just the sense it is intended.
What was the intention?
Does it refer to black people in southwest Louisiana whose ancestors spoke a variety of French that came from Haiti and other Caribbean islands or does it refer to the white French speaking people in Louisiana who did not come from Nova Scotia, like the original French colonists and Napoleon's abandoned soldiers left behind in the new world?
Just this week I have heard the term Créole to mean New Orleans cuisine and also the language spoken in South Carolina by the Gullah people.
"Acadiens" may not be the right term for the festivals, but the term "Créoles" takes some explaining, IMHO.
Festivals Acadiens et Creoles is made of up several individual festivals sponsored by different local organizations: the music festival, the food festival, the arts & crafts festival (and there may have been one more affiliated in the past...). Hope that helps.
The April 2011 Dewey Balfa Cajun & Creole Heritage Week
