Zydeco Group Promotes Family Roots
BOBBY ARDOIN
St. Landry Now.com
There is no better way to celebrate Creole cultural preservation than through Zydeco music, food and reconnecting different family heritages, says Amos Patrick Cravins.
Cravins, whose non-profit Zydeco Unplugged is attempting to revitalize all aspects of the Creole identity, told Opelousas Noon Rotary Club members on Tuesday that the organization is mainly dedicated towards reconnecting with youths from St. Landry Parish communities through genealogy, language, food, music and cultural traditions.
Zydeco Unplugged, Cravins told the Rotarians, is sponsoring an Aug. 15 event at the Opelousas Farmers Market which will feature examples of the Cajun French dialect, music and genealogical education about the families whose histories are embedded in the parish.
Genealogical demonstrations and essential information about many St. Landry Parish families will be additionally available on Aug. 15, Cravins said.
The inaugural event, Cravins said, will also be used to introduce to the public the primary mission of Zydeco Unplugged, which is funded mainly through donations, sponsorships and partnerships.
Cravins said however that the main focus of the organization is targeting youths.
“Teaching our youth and involving them in our culture is not just important. It is our highest priority. With (the children) our culture cannot endure. With them it will flourish,” according to information about Zydeco Unplugged provided in an organization press release that Cravins made available to the Rotarians..
Similar initiatives involving Creole culture exposure to youths are underway in St. Martin and Vermilion parishes.
Cravins noted that there is more than casual interest in Creole culture among parish youths.
“We are hoping that with the help of donations we will be able to purchase the musical instruments used in traditional Creole-French music and teach youths how to play,” said Cravins.
