Overview

Most early African Virginians came from the lands of the medieval Empire of Mali, founded by the original Lion King. Since the first Africans arrived in 1619, Virginia's history has been linked to Africa and to Mali. Virginia's culture is filled with West African music, food, and other influences--including slavery and colonial domination. Both cities have a victims' cemetery. In this book, we meet the key actors of the Virginia-Mali sister cities adventure, exploring family structures, motherhood, religion, clothing, music, religion, and other aspects of cultural life. Friendships develop as our citizens meet and interact, especially the important women and mothers of Mali . . .

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9781947860582

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I am very happy to recommend readers to the important new book Sister Cities, which recounts the story of our Richmond-S gou adventure. As the Bamako Representative of Virginia Friends of Mali, I have been involved in every step along the path of friendship between our two cities, our countries, our two civilizations. There is no 'clash' of civilizations: that is a piece of propaganda meant to divide people. Sister Cities proves my point, for this is a story about uniting people, about building peace and security through 'citizen diplomacy, ' just as President Eisenhower imagined his sister city program would work. The book is an excellent introduction to citizen diplomacy, decentralized international development, civil society empowerment, women's empowerment, and the way in which the world can really work well if men and women of every background pull together. Every teacher and every student should study Ana's and Robin's book, Sister Cities. This is a model story of cooperation and peace building, and will be valuable for travelers and for students and researchers. Read it! --Mr. Kalifa Tour , economics and finance professor at the University of Bamako Americans need to learn about Africa, and Sister Cities will teach them. Written by a black American and a white West African, both educators and civil society leaders, Sister Cities tells the story of the Mali Empire in West Africa (founded in 1235 by the Lion King) illustrated by health projects and contemporary cultural exchanges between the people of Richmond, Virginia and S gou, second city of Mali. West Africans helped build the USA. Many of the earliest African slaves, who came to America in the most horrendous circumstances, were from Mali. Most American music was originally Malian music. Southern cooking was Malian food. Southern houses have porches because West African houses have verandas. We learn these facts in this readable book filled with colorful people. Malians discover the music, museums, and universities of Richmond, while Virginians dance at S gou's famous Festival of the Niger River. In both cities, the mayors place urban poverty at the top of their agenda: their school and health problems are different, but equally urgent. Sister city partnerships build 'citizen diplomacy, ' a pathway to international friendship and cooperation. Every diplomat, every aid worker should read this sister cities story. I congratulate the authors on their exciting book, filled with real stories about S gou and Richmond--long may their partnership continue! --Mme. Safiatou Ba, author and international civil servant living in Washington DC

Author Information

Ana Edwards, artist and educator, is a founder of Virginia Friends of Mali and of the sister city program between Richmond and Ségou, Mali's second city, which she has visited many times. She is chair of the Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project, which promotes the story of Gabriel's Rebellion and aims to reclaim Richmond's historic eighteenth-century African burial ground. Dr. Robin Poulton raised his children in Mali. When his wife, Michelle, moved to Richmond as vice president of ChildFund, Robin taught university students about Africa, the Middle East, and terrorism. He also taught third-grade students and teachers about the medieval Empire of Mali, which was founded by the Lion King. His teaching led Mali's prime minister to visit Richmond with the invitation to become Ségou's sister city.

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