To showcase and celebrate Madison’s international partnerships around the world, the greater Madison community is invited to “Celebrate Madison’s Sister Cities” on Saturday, April 27, 5-8 p.m. at Madison College Truax campus.
The evening will be highlighted by a keynote address from Dr. Eduardo Santana-Castellon, adjunct professor at UW-Madison and Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico who has received numerous awards for his conservation work in the Sierra de Manantlan Biosphere Reserve.
Dr. Santana-Castellon has worked for 35 years in bird monitoring and conservation in Mexico, United States, Central America and the Caribbean, creating conservation institutions such as the Sierra de Manantlan Biosphere Reserve. He has served on the governing boards of the Society for Conservation Biology, the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.
Wisconsin State Representative Chris Taylor, represents the 76th assembly district that includes downtown Madison and its near-east side, will serve as master of ceremonies for the event. Taylor was on a delegation to El Salvador in 2018 focused on immigration issues and spent time meeting with the citizens of Madison’s sister city of Arcatao.
This year’s “Celebrate Madison’s Sister Cities” event will highlight Latin American sister cities in Arcatao, Camaguey and Tepatitlan.
Performing at the event will be Ballet Folklorico de Maria Diaz, whose dances represent various regions in Mexico from the northern state of Chihuahua to the most southern state of Chiapas. The Madison Youth Choirs will also perform. There will also be buffet dinner featuring Latin American food and and photo displays of Sister Cities.
The citizens of Madison have been creating international friendships with communities around the world for over 30 years. The Madison Common Council approved the first sister city relationship in 1986 with Arcatao, El Salvador and since then many more have been formed, which currently include: Freiburg, Germany; Vilnius, Lithuania; Camaguey, Cuba; Mantova, Italy; Obihiro, Japan; Tepatitlan, Mexico; Kanifing, and The Gambia. Bahir-Dar, Ethiopia become the newest sister city in 2018.
Tickets for “Celebrate Madison’s Sister Cities” are $40 ($25 for students) and are available online at Brown Paper Tickets (sccc.brownpapertickets.com/event/4090840). Deadline for online ticket purchases is April 15. For additional information, contact Jon Heinrich, at [email protected] or Charles James at [email protected]
