Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway is taking a visit to one of Madison's sister cities this week. Kanifing is a city in Gambia, a country that outlines the Gambia River on the northwestern coast of Africa.

💞 What is a Sister City?

Also known as twin cities or friendship cities, a sister city relationship is when two different places make an agreement to promote lasting cultural ties. The idea here is to form a fellowship that encourages trade, tourism, and even cultural exchanges + projects. A couple of our other Sister Cities include Vilnius, Lithuania + Freiburg, Germany.

🇬🇲 Get to know Kanifing

Located just outside of Gambia's capital city, Kanifing is the most densely populated township in the country. The highly multicultural society is the center of attraction for both internal and external migrants, largely due to its coastal location at the mouth of the Gambia River. Its location contributes to tourism being a major industry along with trade and government administration.

👥 Kanifing + Madison

Samba Baldeh, a Madison resident of Gambian descent, was elected to the Madison Common Council + Sister City Committee in 2015. Samba saw an opportunity to connect the people of his birthplace with the people of his adopted home in Madison. Shortly thereafter, our relationship with the Kanifing Municipal Council was formed.

Mayor Rhodes-Conway — along with a delegation of 20 others representing Madison — will be traveling to Kanifing to meet with the stakeholders of the Sister City partnership to learn how to maximize support via cooperation in education, health, culture, and the environment.

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"In a time when the world seems to be in perpetual turmoil, these kinds of relationships underscore our resilience and highlight our common human need in developing lasting friendship.” - Jerreh Kujabi, President of the Madison-Kanifing Sister City partnership.