Special Section: GALA 2006

The City Lights of San Francisco

September 9, 2006

2005 Gala Night (Photo: Soro Yacouba/US Embassy)

On September 9, 2006, the United States Embassy in Cote d’Ivoire will be celebrating the Sister City relationship between Abidjan and San Francisco during its annual gala. The theme of this year’s gala is: "The Lights of San Francisco." This spectacular event will include the celebrated American singer Tori Robinson, Ivoirian artist Orenchie, and fashion shows featuring the latest in Ivoirian and American designs. The Embassy’s atrium will be transformed into the San Francisco region with a backdrop of the skyline, a replica of the city’s cable cars, the Golden Gate Bridge, and TransAmerica Tower, along with displays on the Napa and Silicon valleys. This special section of the web site will provide complete information on the event and the Sister City relationship between San Francisco and Abidjan.

Gala Will Celebrate Abidjan & San Francisco’s Sister City Relationship

The United States Embassy in Cote d’Ivoire today announced plans to hold an elaborate gala on September 9th 2006, to celebrate the Sister City relationship between Abidjan and San Francisco, California.  Entitled, “The Lights of San Francisco,” the evening will include a concert by the celebrated American singer Tori Robinson, a fashion show by Ivoirian designers, and songs from the popular Ivoirian artist, Orentch’y... (more)

SPECIAL SECTION: GALA 2006

Sponsors of the American Embassy’s Gala

"The Lights of San Francisco"

Gold Circle Contributors

Office of the Mayor - City of San Francisco

San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau

San Francisco Sister City Committee

PEPSI Cola Cote d’Ivoire

Tropic Fleur

Radio Television Ivorian

Assembly of God

Pathe'o

National Institute of Superior Art & Cultural Action

 

Silver Circle Contributors

Sonoma County Tourism Bureau

San Francisco Examiner

San Francisco Museum of the African Diaspora

California Academy of Sciences

San Mateo County Convention and Visitors Bureau

Bay View Newspaper

San Francisco Guide

Hartle Media

Monterrey Bay Aquarium

Diablo Grande Wine Gallery

 

Bronze Circle Contributors

Extranomonical Tours

Vampire Tours of San Francisco

The Presido Trust

San Francisco CityPass

Incredible Adventures - San Francisco

Asian Art Museum of San Francisco

SPECIAL SECTION: GALA 2006

Letter from the Mayor of San Francisco

Mayor Gavin Newsome of San Francisco (Photo: Office of the Mayor, San Francisco)

August 14, 2006

His Excellency Aubrey Hooks

Ambassador of the United States of America

Dear Mr. Ambassador:

On behalf of the City and County of San Francisco, I would like to extend my warmest wishes to each of you on the occasion of the second annual Gala Soiree at the United States Embassy in Côte d’Ivoire. 

San Francisco and Côte d’Ivoire enjoy a wonderful relationship that has been strengthened through the years by the presence and positive contributions of the Ivorian community to the social, political, and economic life of San Francisco.

San Francisco’s sister city relationship with Abidjan, which was established in 1986, has provided many unique opportunities for promoting cultural understanding and stimulating economic development between our two regions.  I am committed to deepening the mutual understanding and friendship between San Francisco and Abidjan through lively implementation of various exchange projects and building an even more productive relationship for the future.

Today, we celebrate the friendship between San Francisco and Abidjan on the occasion of the second annual Gala Soiree.  I wish you all the best for an enjoyable day!

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

Mayor

SPECIAL SECTION: GALA 2006

Abidjan-San Francisco Sister City Relationship

 

ABIDJAN-SAN FRANCISCO MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT
JULY 2006

The visit of Samuel Mobio, Vice Governor of Abidjan and Chair of the Abidjan-San Francisco Sister City Committee and Koita Lamine, Legal Counsel and Committee member, to San Francisco from May to July of 2006, represents the latest exchange under the Sister City Agreement entered into between the cities of Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire and San Francisco, USA in 1986. 

In the spirit of cooperation between the Sister Cities of Abidjan and San Francisco, Vice Governor Mobio and Koita Lamine met with the Chairperson of the San Francisco Sister City Committee, Ms. Frankie Gillette and the members of the Committee in City Hall, San Francisco on May 8th to identify potential projects of mutual benefit and exchange,  some based on the original Memorandum or subsequent Memorandum of 1993.  Both cities agree to pursue a program of cooperation that will include the following projects:

 

1.      PUBLIC WORKS, TECHNOLOGY AND URBAN CONSTRUCTION

A.     San Francisco agrees to provide consultation to Abidjan in the design and construction of roads, bridges, housing units, health centers, office buildings, shopping centers and traffic control systems.

B.     San Francisco offers to provide technical assistance in areas such as water pollution control, communications, waste management and sanitation.

C.     San Francisco and Abidjan agree to discuss programs that will enhance the use of computers and the Internet between the two cities.

 

2.      EDUCATION, CULTURE AND THE ARTS

A.     The cities agree to cultural exchanges between San Francisco’s cultural institutions and their counterparts in Abidjan to develop multi-year programs of exchange in education, music and the arts.

B.     San Francisco and Abidjan agree to promote establishment of exhibition exchanges in the visual arts and natural history of each region.  The exact details will be determined by respective institutions, such as, in San Francisco, the Museum of the African Diaspora, Fine Arts Museums and California Academy of Science.

C.     Both cities agree to the development of a system for the exchange of library materials that focus on African and American authors, artists, entertainers, poets and composers, curriculum developers, historians and other fields of mutual interest.  The Public Library in San Francisco with the African American Center for Arts and Culture and the Museum of the African Diaspora will provide leadership. The materials will form the basis of a “Friendship Library.”

 

3.      MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH

A.     San Francisco and Abidjan agree to pursue a project which will focus on the efficient distribution and disbursement of medicines and immunizations in Abidjan in conjunction with Bay Area Health professionals.

B.     San Francisco with Abidjan will pursue the feasibility of providing mosquito netting as a preventative for Malaria for specific institutions in Abidjan.

C.     San Francisco and Abidjan will work to find opportunities for medical equipment transferred from San Francisco to appropriate health facilities in Abidjan.

D.     Through medical experts at Bay Area institutions such as UCSF and local hospitals and with the University of Abidjan, exchanges will be pursued in the area of consultation and training in the areas of tropical diseases, environmental health, nutrition, glaucoma and health care of mothers and children.

E.      San Francisco and Abidjan agree to pursue exchanges in community health care, development of electronic health information systems, primary care, public health education.   Health exchanges will be further defined by the respective health authorities in each city.

 

4.      ECONOMIC COOPERATION

A.     Efforts will be made to develop and exchange programs to enhance the trade and investment networks between San Francisco and Abidjan and develop programs to present business opportunities in Abidjan to San Francisco Bay Area based companies.

B.     The San Francisco Museum of the African Diaspora will work with Abidjan to sell crafts and other commercial goods at their museum store.

C.     Efforts will be made to develop and exchange programs to train designers in the markets and tastes of African and American design and apparel, through exchanges of expertise and knowledge.

 

5.      SPORTS

A.     San Francisco and Abidjan agree to explore opportunities for sports exchanges such as friendship soccer, tennis or basketball matches at all levels of competition.

B.     San Francisco will invite Abidjan to participate in the 2008 International Children’s Games which will be held in the summer of 2008.

 

6.      TOURISM

A.     Visits between Cote d’Ivoire and California residents will be encouraged.

B.     The San Francisco Convention and Visitor Bureau will be asked to provide guidance to Abidjan in the promotion of its tourist industry, including seminars, briefings and electronic information.

C.     Both Abidjan and San Francisco agree to establish committees of bi-lingual volunteers who will be willing to host representatives from each Sister City committee. This will be expanded to include visitors from the African continent and the United States.

 

7.      PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

A.     Both cities will pursue a program of city officials exchange, initially agreeing to exchange electronically “best practices” information on governance and in the future working towards personnel and other official exchanges.

B.     Participation in the Sister Cities International and the U.S.-Africa Sister Cities conferences by both sister cities will be encouraged. San Francisco will utilize the Institute of International Education in reaching African visitors.

 

8.      ADDITIONAL PROJECTS

A.     Both Cities agree to entertain additional proposals so long as they are able to be adequately funded and meet the criteria of offering mutual benefit and promoting people-to-people relations.

 

___________________                                    ______________________

Frankie Jacobs Gillette                                     Samuel Mobio

Chairman, San Francisco-                                Vice Governor, District of Abidjan

Abidjan Sister City Committee                          Chairman, Abidjan-San Francisco

                                                                  Sister City Committee

 

___________________                                  ______________________

Gavin Newsom                                             Pierre Djedji Amondji

Mayor, City and County                                 Governor, District of Abidjan

of San Francisco