Connecting to the world with Sister Cities Nashville

Have you met Nashville’s sisters? Sister cities, that is. If you didn’t know, the long-running Sister Cities Nashville program has formal partnerships with nine — and soon to be 10 — international cities.

These partnerships strive to connect the people of Nashville to the people of the world. And they follow a nationwide mission established in the 1950s to carry out what’s known as “citizen diplomacy,” under the belief that exchanging cultural ideas builds understanding and fosters international peace.

Now, after many years of effort, the newest sister city relationship could soon be formalized. Nashville will partner with Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

First up today, we hear the latest from the Southern Baptist Convention with Tennessean religion reporter Liam Adams.

This episode was produced by Tony Gonzalez.

Guests:

• Sarah Lingo, executive director of Sister Cities Nashville

• Nawzad Hawrami, co-founder of Salahadeen Center

• Bill Purcell, former mayor of Nashville and board member with Sister Cities Nashville

• William Watson, student participant with Sister Cities Nashville

• Valentina Boulin, educator at Colegio ICEI in Mendoza, Argentina