Here’s a pop quiz for you. What do Richmond and Ségou, Mali have in common? The two might seem completely unrelated, but they are actually sister cities.

According to Sister Cities International, “A sister city is a broad-based, long-term partnership between two communities in two countries, officially recognized after the highest elected/appointed officials sign off to become sister cities.” The idea is to cultivate international relationships, explore other cultures, and stimulate economic development.

Ségou is our newest Sister City relationship. The partnership began in July 2009 + was finalized when a visiting delegation of dignitaries came to Richmond in October of that year.

Stop us if you’ve heard this before — this sister city is a history-rich, mid-size capital located on a river. We have so much in common already.

Located on the Niger River, Ségou is the fifth-largest city in the Republic of Mali. Fun fact: Richmond is the fifth-largest city in VA.

Ségou is known for its active waterfront as well as its prominence in the arts, specifically handcrafts. The city is the epicenter of Malian pottery. It is also home to the Institute Kôrè of Arts and Metiers, a resource center for promoting arts, culture, and entrepreneurship in the region.

If you’re keen to know more on the architectural highlights of c, Architecture Richmond wrote a blog post on our similarities — including our shared responsibility of historic preservation.

Segou is connected to us artistically + diplomatically. But we actually have more than one sister city. We already learned about Saitama City, Japan and Richmond Upon Thames, England in previous conversations. Look out for our future exploration of Zhengzhou, China.