BOUCTOUCHE (GNB) – La Sagouine, the legendary Acadian figurehead and most celebrated character in the fishing village inspired by international award-winning novelist Antonine Maillet, will be treasured for years to come thanks to investments from the provincial and federal governments.
“The provincial government is proud to invest in this most important project about the story of La Sagouine”, said Kent South MLA Benoit Bourque. “Le Pays de la Sagouine is a key cultural and tourism icon in this region and one of the crown jewels of New Brunswick’s tourism industry.”
Bourque attended the event on behalf of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Donald Arseneault, who is also minister responsible for the Regional Development Corporation.
“Le Pays de la Sagouine is among the top tourist attractions in New Brunswick and is a source of pride for Acadians everywhere, especially here in Bouctouche,” said federal Fisheries, Oceans and Canadian Coast Guard Minister Dominic LeBlanc. “The Government of Canada is pleased to support these projects to enable Le Pays de la Sagouine to continue to play an important role as it helps to strengthen the tourism sector while increasing economic opportunities for the region.”
LeBlanc spoke on behalf of federal Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains, who is also minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.
Actress Viola Léger has been an integral part of Le Pays de la Sagouine’s success, playing the long-standing role of La Sagouine for more than 40 years. The first project, to digitize productions of the actress performing her famous monologues, will enable the icon to be projected in future theatre pieces and on giant screens, as well as be incorporated in videos, on the web, and on the organization’s tourist site long after she retires.
“It has been 40 years since Viola Léger first took the stage to play the role of La Sagouine,” said Luc LeBlanc, Acting Director General, Le Pays de la Sagouine. “She definitely could not have imagined that this character would completely disrupt her life and become the hero of an entire population. Today, with the help of the federal and provincial governments, we will forever immortalize our beloved Sagouine through the Sagouine 4k project. Some magnificent theatrical and cinematographic works will come out of this forward-thinking project, for which we are very grateful.”
The provincial government is investing $100,000 and the federal government is investing $597,638 to enable the organization to modernize its product offerings generally through digitization of its productions as well as through infrastructure improvements.
10-06-16