PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN AMERICA AND WEST AFRICA

The friendship between Richmond and Segou remains strong.

Read issues of our newsletter, the Richmond Chiwara, in the archives.

AfricaElisabeth DrummJanuary 11, 2024Africa, friendship, Richmond, Sister City, Segou, Virginia, Virginia Friends of Mali, Timbuktu, Chiwara

Robert Lacville visited the Ségou Music Festival on the Niger River February 2010

Ségou, Mali’s second city, holds a fabulous music festival ! For three days we sat and listened to world-famous singers like Habib Koité, Salif Keita, and the exotic Tuareg group Tinariwen, or watched local groups twist and dance and drum their way through the African dust.

AfricaElisabeth DrummApril 10, 2021Sister Cities International, SCI, Jumelage, Segou, Richmond, racism, AAPI

Sister Cities International (SCI) Speaks out Against Racism

I have been working with Sister Cities International for fifteen years now. SCI is a great international civil society movement supporting friendship between peoples, promoting peace while developing educational and other activities between cities. I totally support the following statement against racism, issued by SCI.

AfricaElisabeth DrummApril 7, 2021Sister Cities International, SCI, Jumelage, Segou, Richmond, racism, AAPI

TEACHING ABOUT MALI

Originally this document was a teacher handout for a Mali Exhibit in Richmond VA, for the Standard of Learning in Virginia’s Elementary Schools.

RESPECT FOR ELDERS (2019)

Two grandmothers attending the Ségou Festival on the Niger River in Mali — on a donkey cart.

AfricaElisabeth DrummOctober 22, 2020Mali, Segou, Richmond, elders, grandparents, grandchild, grandmother, donkey cart, music festival, niger river

The Most Vulnerable: Women with AIDS and Islam in Mali (book review) (2017)

An important new book by anthropology professor friend and colleague Dr. Christopher Brooks, Virginia Commenwealth University, reviewed here by Dr Robin Poulton

AfricaElisabeth DrummOctober 22, 2020Mali, aids, christopher brooks, Salim Coumaré, Segou, Islam, vcu, Nyéléni

Sunjata Lion King OpEd Richmond Times Dispatch by Dana and Robin (2012)

There is a link between Richmond and the lion king — not the Disney cartoon, but the true African story of Prince Sunjata Keita, who lost his throne as a child and returned in 1235 to create the Mali Empire. Many Richmonders came from there.

AfricaElisabeth DrummOctober 21, 2020Mali, Sister City, Segou, Richmond, Lion King, cheick Hamala Diabate, Sunjata, Peacecorps

FESTIVAL OF THE NIGER RIVER (January 2007)

Allan Levenberg (dit Kouyateh) and Robin Edward Poulton (dit Macky Tall) led a delegation of a dozen VIRGINIA FRIENDS OF MALI to the third Segou music Festival of the Niger River February 1-4, 2007.