The title of this post, of course, reflects one of the five
stated Values of the Columbia Association.
These words were very much top of mind as I strolled toward the CA
building, where, at the stroke of three o’clock Saturday (12/13/14), the
inaugural meeting of the Haiti Sister City Planning Committee Meeting was
gaveled to order.
Columbia, as you may be aware, has three Sister Cities – two
in Europe and one in Africa. Today, the
discussion of forming a similar relationship with a city in the Western
Hemisphere, specifically with the city of Cap-Haitien, Haiti, took a step
forward.
Intuitively, this potential arrangement makes a great deal
of sense. Haiti’s geographic proximity
to our corner of the States (relative to the other three locales) should help
facilitate exchanges and other interactions between residents of our two
communities. We even share the same time
zone. Moreover, there are many Haitians
and those with family in Haiti who reside and/or work in Columbia. Cap-Haitien is known for being a center of
artistic activity; Columbia celebrates the arts.
We are both going through times of transition. Our unique community is evolving while
Cap-Haitien is undergoing significant changes as well.
The University of Haiti – Campus Roi Henri Christophe in Limonade (which
is part of the Cap-Haitien Arrondissement) was just completed in 2012. Tourism is growing in the city that has been
called “the Paris of the Antilles.”
But I am not yet on expert on Cap-Haitien, and I may never
be. Moreover, j’ai oublie la plus part
de la langue francaise depuis l’ecole secondaire (I hope I am in the ballpark
there). I also don’t speak a word of
Haitian Creole but I have always been interested in the history of the Republic
of Haiti. So I am elated to be part of a
group that is working to formalize a relationship, via citizen diplomacy, with
Cap-Haitien.
I am encouraged based on the intellectual firepower of those
who attended today’s meeting. There were
some smart discussions on next steps as well as key challenges and
considerations, and some on-the-nose questions were raised. Overall, we are off to a promising start.
There are many steps remaining in order to move this process
forward. To that end, I encourage my
readers – particularly those who reside in Columbia – to attend the next
meeting of the Haiti Sister City Planning Committee, which I believe is
scheduled to occur on January 13, 2015 at 7 pm at the CA Building (in the Board
Room). I will re-confirm that
day/time/location in the days ahead.
And while international relations may not be a centerpiece of
CA programming, there is a deep and abiding commitment to diversity, to
building bridges, to learning from one another.
To those vital ends, among others, this author believes that the uniqueness
of Cap-Haitien, combined with the special nature of Columbia, would make for a
long and mutually beneficial association….hopefully, a Sister City
relationship.
Stay tuned, as more will follow.
