World Culture Day 2025

Our President, Karen Claypool, captivated the community by sharing personal stories from Germany, demonstrating the preparation of traditional German red cabbage, and offering a brief German language lesson all in front of a full room.

Meanwhile, our Vice President, Kanika Jones, representing the Chattanooga–Accra, Ghana partnership, engaged attendees with discussions about Ghana and the mission of the Sister Cities Association.

African-born Chattanoogans, including the wonderful Kofi and N’nako Kande, enriched the experience by sharing Ghanaian culture through fabric, textiles, literature, dance, drums, and singing.

What a wonderful time! Thank you to everyone who made this event memorable.

Celebrating Ghana's Independence

Happy Independence Day to Our Sister City, Accra, Ghana!

On this historic day, March 6, we celebrate the remarkable journey of Ghana’s independence, achieved in 1957 under the visionary leadership of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. Ghana’s bold step as the first sub-Saharan African nation to break free from colonial rule inspired nations around the world and ignited a wave of liberation across the continent. Ghana’s resilience, cultural richness, and unwavering spirit continue to shine as a beacon of hope and progress.

Here in Chattanooga, we honor this special day by raising awareness among our citizens about the deep historical ties between our two cities and the shared values of freedom, unity, and progress. Through cultural exchanges, educational programs, and community events, we celebrate Ghana’s vibrant heritage and its contributions to the global community. As sister cities, Chattanooga and Accra are united by a commitment to fostering mutual understanding, collaboration, and growth. Today, we stand with Ghana in celebration of it’s independence and the enduring bond between our communities.

Happy Independence Day, Accra! May the spirit of freedom and unity continue to guide us forward together.

Annual Report - SCA 2024 Activities

January

• Hosted a delegation from Tono, Japan.

• Hosted a dinner at the Walden Club for the visiting Japanese delegates.

• Held a dinner at FoodWorks with Mayor Tim Kelly as the guest speaker, telling of his experiences as an exchange student to Hamm, Germany during his high school years.

February

• Hosted a small group supper.

• Celebrated the Chinese New Year with a luncheon at the Forbidden City Restaurant.

• Welcomes and hosted two runners from Fano, Italy who came to the Chattanooga Marathon.

March

• Partnered with the local Iranian-American community to celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year.

April

• Attended the signing of the letters of agreement to become Sister Cities by the mayors of Chattanooga and Ghana.

• Hosted a luncheon after the official signing at Adelle’s restaurant. The luncheon was attended by several Ghanians living in Chattanooga.

May

• Hosted the Flavors of the World dinner and membership drive at Pilgrim Congregational Church with international foods and three dramatic and music acts.

• Attended the documentary presentation at Barking Legs Theater that has been created from conversations between select artists, residing in Chattanooga and Hamm, Germany.

• Help subsidize the trip to the Sister Cities International All Americas Summit in San Antonio, Texas for President Karen Claypool.

June

• Karen Claypool attended the Sister Cities International Roundtable on Ghana via Zoom.

July

• Hosted a luncheon at the Walden Club with a PPT presentation of Cape Town, South Africa and highlights of the Sister Cities International Convention in 2023.

August

• Hosted “Don’t Judge a County by its Coverage” by Mike and Angela Ballard at the Chattanooga Library; later, a dinner at the Mayan kitchen.

September

• Kanika Wellington-Jones and Karen Claypool were guests on the TV program “Daily Refresh”, discussing Sister Cities.

• Several SCA board members attended Mayor Kelly’s State of the City presentation.

• SCA hosted a program and BBQ dinner at the Chattanooga Library about Ghana, presented by Kanika Wellington-Jones and others.

October

• The City hosted a delegation from Trostyanets, Ukraine. SCA members met with the Ukrainians for a Meet and Greet at OddStory Brewery.

• Hosted an afternoon cocktail hour for the Ukrainian delegation and SCA members at the home of Karen Claypool.

• Hosted a potluck dinner for membership in the party room of the Pinnacle Condominium Building with a focus on the history of Chattanooga SCA.

November

• Hosted the Annual SCA Meeting and Celebration at the Walden Club with a musical program by the African Kings and Queens of Classical Soul.

December

How Sister Cities Celebrate the New Year Around the World

The clock has ticked past midnight in every time zone around the world and we are now in a New Year. When New Years came through Chattanooga, Tennessee, champagne flutes were toasted, lovers kissed, and fireworks shot into the sky. Many people in Chattanooga were probably watching college football, too (American college football, that). As families wake up on New Years’ Day, it’s likely many of them will have some black-eyed peas with their lunch or supper, a common New Year good fortune food around here.

But what about our sister cities all over the world? What might they have been doing as we entered a new year?

Learning about holiday celebrations in another country can open up your worldview in huge way. It will help you gain appreciation for your own traditions and give insight into the traditions of communities abroad.

Let’s begin with ACCRA, GHANA!

Our friendship city Accra, Ghana is all about celebrating the holiday season, which most Ghanians call the ‘festive season’. Traditional festivals, Fireworks, Holiday decor, and family gathered to share popular dishes like jollof rice, fu fu and various stews and savory soups.

A term that comes from the country’s most commonly-spoken language AKAN is 'AFISHAPA' which means Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

#Accra #Sistercities #Diversity #Inclusion #Ghana #Africa #Culture

Then, let’s celebrate with our friends in Hamm, Germany and Gangneung, Republic of Korea!

New Year’s Day in Germany is called Neu Jahr and is recognized as a national holiday. Bleigie Ben a type of fortune telling, is a popular activity on this day. Our friends use this traditional form of ‘tin pouring’ to predict what will happen in the new year. Sauerkraut is also a popular food eaten on this day for good luck.

Our friends in Gangneung celebrate the New Year referred to as the LUNAR YEAR (SEOLLAL). The Lunar year always last 3 days. The day before the New Year, day of and day after. Traveling to visit family, feasts and paying respect to ancestors are important during the Lunar Year season. Playing #yutnori is a popular tranditional game played today and enjoyment of the savory taste of rice cake soup is served to symbolize good health and long life.

Fano’s Feast of Seven Fishes is a popular tradition around the holidays. A tradition originated in Southern Italy. This grand meal takes place after a day of fasting before Christmas. This tradition commentates the wait, the Vigilia di Natale, for the midnight birth of baby Jesus. Learn more about #italiantradition

Our friends in Givatayim gathered to celebrate the beautiful holiday referred to as Hanukkah, also called Feast of Dedication. Lights, festivals and enjoying family for 8 days. Learn more about #Hanukkah

Wolfsburg is known for more than its rich history, big car plants, and the great Autostadt a sort of automotive museum, our friends celebrate the holidays with festivals in the city, parties and fireworks. Silvester or New Years Eve in Germany means the country explodes in celebrations. Fondue is also a popular food eaten on this day. Learn more #wolfsburggermany

In Nizhny Tagil our friends spend holiday season gathered on Theater Square. Enjoying friends and family. Novy God is the Russian phrase for New Year. New Year’s Eve is similar to Christmas and gifts are exchanged and New Year’s Eve trees are decorated and displayed. Learn more #nizhnytagil

In Wuxi, even though the Chinese New Year is January 22nd this year, launching Spring festival, the Gregorian New Year is still celebrated. You can expect fireworks in cities like Shanghai and Beijing, plenty of shopping deals and a national day off on January 1st. Learn more #chinesenewyear

Tono is full of amazing holiday traditions. The rich culture of the many people of Tono involves food & gatherings. A unique way of celebrating New Year’s Eve is eating toshikoshi soba and watching the sunrise in the morning called #Hatsuhinode

Oh! We can’t forget the wonderful tradition of New Years Resolutions! How about a resolution to learn more, connect with, and maybe even VISIT our sister cities. Remember, our world is one big family. Our differences are special, and our bonds help make for a more peaceful and abundant world for all. Be a great Chattanoogan this year! Maybe that also means be a great world citizen.

The Gift of Good Eats From Chattanooga's Friendship City in Ghana

We came, we cooked, we ate. What better way to connect with the people and culture from our Friendship City of Accra, Ghana?

The African cooking demo event was a blast! On August 26 at the North River Civic Center, President Karen Claypool kicked off the event with a warm welcome to members and guests. She spoke about her passion to bring more diversity to the association. Kanika Wellington-Jones, Vice President of the Accra, Ghana division and members Beatrice Kennebrew and N’Nako Kande’ Bacon (all pictured above) led the ‘Taste of Africa’ cooking class for the community. Together they prepared jollof rice (Ghanaian style) and pineapple beignets.

Kanika engaged the guests in conversation around her trip to Ghana and her personal experience with food, culture, and community.

While her Ghanian and Nigerian friends participated in the event via zoom, the conversation highlighted the beauty of fellowship around food and embracing cultural differences.

Annual Report - SCA 2021 Activities

• Held an exhibition of photographs from Russian youth from Nizhny Tagil and Chattanooga high schoolers at City Hall and had a reception for the artists, their families, and the public

• Began a Sister City Book and Movie group

• Sent letters to outgoing and incoming mayors of Wuxi, Wolfsburg, and Tono and incoming mayor of Hamm

• Hosted several luncheons and dinners

• Arranged for a mayor's proclamation of Paul and Lisl Jackson Day and hosted Paul in a Walden Club dinner prior to his move to Texas, as a thank you for his and Lisl's work for and gifts to Sister Cities 

• Continued efforts with Tono brewers for collaborative beer-making projects; added Hamm to the discussions and are currently working on beer projects with Hamm and among Hamm, Tono, and Chattanooga

• Began virtual friends visits using WhatsApp where Chattanoogans were matched with folks from Hamm for regular contact; there are more people in Hamm wanting to participate who are awaiting Chattanooga partners

• Partnered with Barking Legs Theatre/Ann Law to create “Cultural Cross Ties”, a planned seven-year project through which Chattanooga artists are matched with artists in our sister cities to create art together and get to know one another via zoom

• Givatayim was the first city with whom we partnered, and a documentary is being produced that will be shown perpetually at the Chattanooga Airport and other locations throughout the Scenic City; The next segment of the project will be with Hamm and Wolfsburg

• Contacted former Mayor Andy Berke to set up a meeting time to honor him with a gift sent from Tono

• Had several meetings with Mayor Kelly and his staff to advocate for an SCA office in City Hall and a budget for our expenses

• Website updated by Evan Bissonette

• Sent letters and videotaped messages from Mayor Andy Berke and SCA president Karen Claypool to Tono in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan; Tono played a significant role in the rescue & recovery efforts following the disaster

• Organized three candidate forums via Zoom for local mayoral candidates

• SCA and Wuxi provided several opportunities for teens from both cities to communicate virtually using a big screen; Jenny Li, our VP for Wuxi, served as translator

• Facilitated a program on sustainability of cities led by Michael Walton of Chattanooga GreenSpaces, which included interviews with government leaders from Hamm, Wolfsburg and Tono; The interviews were shown on local TV in Tono, Japan

• Louisa Mesich, SCA board member, was recognized with an award from the Japanese government, presented by the Japanese consul in Atlanta for her work promoting international peace

A Poem About Traveling, by Gio Evan

Try to travel, otherwise you may become racist, and you may end up believing that your skin is the only one to be right, that your language is the most romantic and that you were the first to be the first.                                  

Travel, because if you don't travel then your thoughts won't be strengthened, won't get filled with ideas. Your dreams will be born with fragile legs and then you end up believing in tv-shows, and in those who invent enemies that fit perfectly with your nightmares to make you live in terror.     

Travel, because travel teaches to say good morning to everyone regardless of which sun we come from. 

Travel, because travel teaches to say goodnight to everyone regardless of the darkness that we carry inside.                     

Travel, because traveling teaches to resist, not to depend, to accept others, not just for who they are but also for what they can never be, to know what we are capable of, to feel part of a family beyond borders, beyond traditions and culture. Traveling teaches us to be beyond.

Travel, otherwise you end up believing that you are made only for a panorama and instead inside you there are wonderful landscapes still to visit. 

- Gio Evan, poet and songwriter.