ST. LOUIS—The City of Saint Louis will have its first sister-city in nearly ten years, says Mayor Cara Spencer.
On Friday, the mayor and Saint Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page will fly across the Atlantic Ocean to Africa and meet with the mayor of Kigali, Samuel Dusengiyumva.
“We’re really excited to develop that partnership,” said Cara Spencer, Mayor of St. Louis. “Kigali is an up and coming city in Africa and one that is really exciting for several reasons.”
Spencer added the Rwandan city is emerging in the agricultural sector but also in its creative community, which she hopes to learn more about and apply somethings in Saint Louis.
“I think about what sets St. Louis apart from other cities in the world, I think about our deep roots and creativity and I think about how we really have a tremendous set of cultural assets here in St. Louis. I really think about us as the cultural center of the United States in many ways for so many reasons. Kigali has really honed in on and really built a good amount of its future on its creative economy.”
She said Kigali has been through a lot, including the genocide that impacted many, including Mayor Dusengiyumva’s family.
“He’s really come up as a phenomenal leader, leading that city into just a really exciting, welcoming and beautiful place to be. So I’m excited to got to Kigali, sign the official sister city and then we’re also heading over to Nairobi, Kenya, a city I’ve been to, but not for many years, to establish some trade mission relationships there as well.”
The trade mission trip includes Nairobi, Kenya too.
Source: spectrumlocalnews.com
