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Rallying Around The Music
Even within the small Cajun community of south Louisiana, Cajun culture can be divided into regions. The Cajuns first settled in St. Martinville, and the people who still live in and around that town are called the Cajuns of the bayou. Fishing and shrimping were traditional mainstays of bayou life. Further west, the Cajuns of the prairie turned to rice farming and raising cattle to make their living. Oil was first struck in the prairie area. And the prairie is home to south Louisiana’s best-known accordion makers and musicians. The region has a rich musical history that includes legends Dennis McGee and Sady Courville, as well as a number of contemporary favorites. With such a thriving musical culture, it’s only fitting that the Cajun French Music Association got its start in the prairie town of Basile in 1984. The non-profit organization carries out its mission of promoting and preserving Cajun music and culture through ten chapters in Louisiana and Texas. Each chapter hosts events and educates people in its area with music lessons, dance demonstrations and French lessons. Bill Weissborn has been a member of the New Orleans chapter of the CFMA for seven years. He led the chapter for two years and enjoyed visiting schools and summer camps to bring the music and culture to the children. “We’d get the kids involved, get them up and dancing,” he says. Weissborn himself dances at Mulate’s every Saturday and Sunday, where he has developed a circle of friends interested in preserving Acadian heritage and in having a good time on the dance floor.
Each CFMA chapter holds a
monthly meeting, usually with musical entertainment. A monthly newsletter
with notes from each chapter goes out to all CFMA members. In Eunice, the
Cajun French Music Association Hall of Fame and Museum tells the story of
Cajun music and its talented ambassadors. And in Lafayette, “LeCajun”
National Cajun Music Awards and Festival celebrates today’s Cajun music
all-stars. The festival takes place the third weekend in August, with 2000
marking the event’s 12th year. For CFMA members, the awards
and festival are a terrific way to spread the word about Cajun music –
and to get their fill of great sounds. |