Belgium-United States/The cities of Namur and Lafayette celebrate 45 years of twinning

On Saturday, the cities of Namur and Lafayette (USA) celebrated 45 years of twinning by inaugurating an exhibition dedicated to their union in the Square de la Francophonie, at the foot of the Enjambée.

Lafayette is the French-speaking capital of Louisiana. The twinning charter linking it to the Walloon capital was signed on July 4, 1979. Since then, numerous exchanges have taken place between the two cities, resulting in academic, economic and administrative cooperation.

The exhibition inaugurated on Saturday highlights the many facets of the city of Lafayette and its twinning with Namur. In particular, it presents the Acadian Tintamarre, an event that symbolizes the resilience and pride of the Acadians, a French-speaking ethnic group living in North America. It also features emblematic figures from Lafayette, its culture and traditions, and the cooperation between the University of Louisiana and its Namur counterpart.

The inauguration was attended by Maxime Prévot (Les Engagés), mayor of Namur, and Monique Boulet, mayor of Lafayette. The American delegation also took advantage of its presence in Belgium to sign an amendment to the 2022 agreement linking the University of Namur and the University of Louisiana, in order to optimize student exchanges between the two institutions.

Philippe Gustin, Director of the International Center of Lafayette, was also awarded the insignia of Ambassador of Namur for his investment in the development of cooperation between Lafayette and the Walloon city over the decades. Last but not least, the delegation from Louisiana will mark Namur's festivities for the Belgian national holiday on Sunday.

Source: www.lalibre.be