On 918 Day 2023 (September 18), Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum, the Tulsa Global Alliance, and members of local nonprofit Mainsprings announced Tulsa has started the process of adding Mwanza, Tanzania, to its network of Sister Cities.
Mwanza will be Tulsa's first Sister City added to its network in the last 18 years.
“Our city is excited to announce the process to add Mwanza, Tanzania, to our growing network of Sister Cities,” Mayor G.T. Bynum said. “Tulsa is truly a global city, and I want to thank the Tulsa Global Alliance, our delegation, and local nonprofit MainSprings for helping kickstart this process.”
Mwanza is the second largest city in Tanzania, which is the capital of the Mwanza region with a population over 1.3 million. The city is also known as the “City of Rocks.” Tulsa’s eight other international Sister Cities include: Amiens, France; Beihai, China; Celle, Germany; Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Lan Luis Potosi, Mexico; Tiberias, Israel; Utsunomiya, Japan; and Zelenograd, Russia.
“Tulsa Global Alliance is honored to work with the City of Tulsa to manage exchanges and activities with Tulsa’s Sister Cities, and to work on this initiative to welcome Mwanza, Tanzania, to the family of Tulsa’s current Sister Cities,” said Bob Lieser, Tulsa Global Alliance’s Vice President of Programming. “Tulsa Global Alliance looks forward to building a sustained relationship of mutually beneficial exchanges with Mwanza for years to come.”
Mwanza has ties to Tulsa through local nonprofit Mainsprings that helped bring the city to Tulsa’s attention. Over the past several decades, numerous Tulsans have visited the city and made ties to the region.
“My path to Tanzania started when I stood up on my Kindergarten career day at Eliot Elementary here in Tulsa, and eventually went to the city of Mwanza in 2002,” Mainsprings founder Chris Gates said. “Mainsprings has grown from so much support here in Tulsa, and we have had hundreds of citizens from here visit Mwanza, Tanzania, over the years. I am personally honored that this
Sister City partnership is connecting these two cities I call home to collectively strengthen our own understanding of the world we live in and further the development of these cities for the betterment of our citizens.”
Adding Mwanza as a Sister City is a monthslong process. In the coming weeks, Tulsa and Mwanza committees will meet virtually to exchange perspectives. Each city’s partnership committee work to complete initial research on possible city connections and opportunities for exchange.
The Tulsa Partnership Committee is comprised of: Chris Gates, Mainsprings; April Gordon, Tulsa Global Alliance; Dr. Ruby Libertus, ORU; Dr. Delia Gillis Eye Adom, Travel N Tour; Jonas Yona Ludomya, Tanzania diaspora member and student; Karl Ahlgren, Mainsprings board member; Kuma Roberts, Arrowhead Consulting; Gretchen Mudoga, PartnerTulsa; Dewayne Dickens, African-American Affairs Commission; Rodrigo Rojas, Mayor's Office.
The Mwanza Partnership Committee will be comprised of the following: Mayor of the Mwanza City Council; Human Resources Officer; City Economic and Planning Officer; City Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries; Coordinator of Partnership and Public Relations Officer; Representative from St. Augustine University of Tanzania; and a representative from Mainsprings.
Following initial research by each committee, Tulsa’s local delegation will visit Mwanza to secure identified exchange opportunities before finalizing the application and securing letters of interest and support.
Finally, the TGA board will have to vote on the merits of the application before it is signed by the City of Tulsa.
