3/24/01 Sister City Meeting

Washington, DC - Habana Sister City

WHO WE ARE & WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO

The Washington, DC-Havana Sister City Project, a recognized member of the US-Cuba Sister City Association (USCSCA; www.USCSCA.org), is a coalition for peace and social justice comprised of DC based groups seeking to establish and promote mutually respectful relations between these two capital cities. We advocate the official twinning of our two cities through our respective local governments and work to establish people-to-people cultural exchanges in areas such as education, health & science, art, sports, youth development, etc.

Some exchanges currently being developed are:

1. A youth leadership exchange in collaboration with LISTEN, Inc. This tentative project will initially be in the form of a travel exchange, bringing together youth leaders from both D.C. and Havana. LISTEN is a national youth development network focused on nurturing and supporting the development of a successor generation of youth leadership in poor urban communities of color.

2.Sustainable agriculture and cooperative farming exchanges with urban gardeners in DC. This will take the form of sharing agricultural techniques and cooperative work experiences. DC is home to many urban gardens in public spaces and at private homes. Residents of DC can earn Master Gardener certificates through the Cooperative Extension Service of the University of the District of Columbia. Master Gardeners volunteer their services to organizations and individuals throughout the city.

3. An exchange around the practice of Ifa, a tradition of West Africa. This exchange will take the form of creating various documentary presentations and exhibits on manifestations of this tradition in the respective cities. Isenbaye, a DC and London based non-profit is committed to promoting greater understanding of the Ifa tradition by educating the wider community on the significance of Ifa to the development of other world cultures.

4. A DC & Havana filmmaker’s exchange. Visions-Cinema Bistro Lounge has agreed to host a reception for Havana and DC filmmakers both as honored guests and to include a showing of the work of probably Gloria Rolando and/or some other Havana filmmaker. We hope this event will serve as kick off to a DC-Havana Film Festival and to, in turn, replicate all events in Havana.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Washington, DC - Havana Sister City Project was conceived out of the recognition of the benefits which result from people-to-people exchanges. The two cities have much in common and much to share to the benefit of the respective populations and peoples.

The two cities are capital cities of their respective countries. Their populations are predominantly comprised of peoples of color, with a heavily African and Latino presence. The presence and practice of African and Latino culture is widespread.

The two cities are cosmopolitan. They are home to world-renowned universities which educate peoples from throughout the world; the educational level of the residents of both cities is high. The cities claim sophisticated tourist industries, which welcome international visitors year-around. They are home to diplomatic representations of numerous governments from around the world.

Washington, DC and Havana are the sites of numerous museums and archives which serve as centers of information and education for the general public and for scholars. These institutions, public, private, and at universities, house some of the most important collections in the world.

Both capitals, as the loci of the seats of both national and local government, provide large numbers of public service employment opportunities. The cities provide residents with public services, including education and health care.

The residents of both cities have similar community organizational structures. In Washington, DC, there are numerous "block clubs" which are comparable to the block organizations in Havana.

The many commonalities of the two cities, only some of which are provided here, suggest a symbiosis between the two.

The Washington, DC - Havana Sister Cities Project seeks to develop this symbiosis to the benefit of the residents of both cities.

TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2001
6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
MEMORIAL LIBRARY
901 G Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 
(Metro: Gallery Place - Red, Green and Yellow Lines, Metro Center - Blue, Orange Lines)

Venceremos Brigade - DC Region 
Phone: (202) 756-4100 ext. 7550
venceremosbrigade_dc@onebox.com

Sponsored by the Venceremos Brigade - DC Region in cooperation with the Black Studies Division of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library