About

The Twinning of the Cities of Lafayette and Namur

In 1968, Louisiana decided to ensure the survival of its Francophone heritage and to revive the use of French in families and schools.

CODOFIL (Council for the Development of French in Louisiana) was created in Lafayette, the capital of Acadiana, the French-speaking part of southern Louisiana. Very quickly, CODOFIL called on several French-speaking countries to send teachers. France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Quebec all responded.

The Belgian Minister of National Education at the time, Antoine Humblet, was from Namur, and the first director of Belgian teachers in Louisiana, Mariette Delahaut, was also from Namur. In 1974, seven teachers were sent to Louisiana. In 1975, there were 32 teachers, and 99 teachers were sent for the 1976–1977 school year.

Since then, the Belgian Francophone presence has continued, though on a smaller scale. As part of this movement, a desire emerged to build links between the two communities in the form of a twinning arrangement. Initially, it was considered that Namur would be twinned with New Orleans. However, under the influence of Minister Humblet, Lafayette—the capital of French Louisiana—was ultimately chosen.

As early as 1977, a delegation from the Namur Municipal Youth Commission, including Luc Arnould, travelled to Lafayette to explore the project.

In 1978, the first official visit was led by Francis Laloux, then alderman for Culture and Tourism, accompanied by the Masuis and Cotelis Jambois and many residents of Namur.

In 1979, a twinning charter between Namur and Lafayette was signed on July 4 at the Halle al’Chair by Mayor Louis Namèche and Mayor Kenny Bowen.

Since then, numerous exchanges have taken place through academic, economic, administrative, and above all human connections.

Namur and Lafayette are members of the International Association of Francophone Mayors (AIMF) and the Vertech City Network (formerly the SESAME Network).

About the Artwork

For over 15 years, Makemade and Burt Durand have been independently creating works for the city of Lafayette and beyond. For their first mural collaboration, the design team sought to create an illustrated collage highlighting some of Lafayette’s many facets: the urban center, natural waterways, distinctive food, energetic and infectious dances, essential instruments that produce the region’s unique sound, and the large stages that host music from around the world.

Throughout the project, Makemade aimed to capture the visual essence of Lafayette, and Burt Durand’s skilled hands brought it to life.