Mayor of Dakar visits A2, solides relations with 'U'

Mamadou Diop, the mayor of Dakar, Senegal, will take back some Wolverine spirit with him when he returns to his west African home Sunday.

Diop comes to Ann Arbor as part of the sister city partnership between Ann Arbor and Dakar. The bond between the two cities was solidified when a group representing Ann Arbor visited Dakar in July.

As part of an Ann Arbor tour, Diop was given paraphernalia about the University. He also received tours of campus medical facilities and North Campus.

Assistant Vice Provost and Director of the Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives John Matlock, who coordinated Diop's University visit and has visited Senegal three times, said he thinks the mayor's trip marks the beginning of a prosperous relationship.

"Hopefully this will be the first of many visitations between the two cities," Matlock said. "I've seen every evidence that this seems to be more than a symbolic relationship."

In addition to the partnership between the two cities, Matlock said he hopes the African delegation's visit will forge another relationship - one established by University students studying at the University of Dakar and Dakar students studying at the University.

"I think it opened doors for the Ann Arbor community, and I think it opened the door for students who have an interest in travelling abroad to places such as south Africa and north Africa," Matlock said.

M. Diallo, the mayor's chief of protocol, and M. Toure, the mayor's special assistant for communications, accompanied Diop.

Toure said one reason for the mayor's visit is to build relationships between Senegal and other nations as it emerges globally.

"He's aware of the importance of this university as one of the best in the United States," Toure said on behalf of Diop, whose preferred language is French. "The University of Michigan, especially the students, must prepare themselves to open new markets in Africa."

Diop encouraged University of Michigan students to attend the University of Dakar, which is one of Africa's leading higher education institutions, and to join a vast array of international students studying there.

Rackham student Abdoulaye Mbengue, a native of Senegal, said the citizens of both cities can benefit from continual interaction between Ann Arbor and Dakar.

"It's got to be a two-way street," he said. "This probably will help bring more Senegalese to the United States."

Associate Provost of Academic and Multicultural Affairs Lester Monts, who helped welcome the Seneglese delegation, said the organization Sister Cities, Inc. deserves praise for the relationships it fosters between citizens in different cities.

"This has been very beneficial in terms of promoting cultural understanding between citizens in our cities and citizens abroad," Monts said.

Monts also said he is glad the mayor dedicated some of his time getting to know the University.

"I'm pleased that they chose to spend some time at the University of Michigan because the University is very much a part of the city of Ann Arbor," Monts said.

Matlock said that Diop has been invited to lecture at the University during his next trip to Ann Arbor. "He's pretty excited about possibly doing that," Matlock said.

The second Ann Arbor delegation to visit Dakar, which is tentatively scheduled to depart in June, will hopefully include Ann Arbor Mayor Ingrid Sheldon and a University student, Matlock said.

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