And the winner is......

And The Winner is............ Gondar, Ethiopia.


Montgomery County in Maryland has a Sister City Program. They are partnering with different African countries in a cultural exchange. Many African countries are bidding for the position to be a "Sister City" to Maryland. Yesterday was Ethiopia's opportunity to present a contending City for this project.

An Ethiopian Selection Committee chose 25 cities in Ethiopia to represent. They then chose 7 from the 25 cities and used a questionnaire as an assessment tool. The committee looked at historical facts, culture, location, assets, reputation, etc. After much debate, Gondar was chosen as the represented city for the project.

Gondar was the Capital of Ethiopia in 1635-1855. It is known as the Camelot of Ethiopia due to it's five castles and architectural ruins. Also it is one of the largest city throughout Ethiopia. It has 44 churches and Mosques, with the oldest Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities in the world. It is 35 Kilometers from Lake Tana. The city trades grain, oil seeds and cattle.

Now that the city has been chosen, Gondar will be the city to compete in Montgomery County African Sister City Program. If we win; support, communication and cultural exchange between the two cities will be "history repeating itself" stated Dr. Melesse. Halie Selassie, came to the tristate and opened these same doors of opportunity, as the first black man to spend the night and days at the White House, as a guest of John F. Kennedy. So if chosen, this will not be a newly developed friendship but a rekindled relation.