THE KINGSTON and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) recently signed a sister-to-sister agreement with the South American island of San Andres.

Mayor of Kingston, Desmond McKenzie, visited the Colombian department recently and held talks with administrators there about establishing educational and cultural ties.

'Visit was personally gratifying'

He was accompanied by councillors Rosalie Hamilton (Rae Town division) and Eugene Kelly (Whitfield Town division). During the May 18-23 trip, the councillors met with San Andres Governor Pedro Gallardo Forbes and visited the neighbouring island of Providencia.

McKenzie told The Gleaner that with many of the island's almost 60,000 inhabitants claiming Jamaican ancestry, the visit was personally gratifying.

"We have had sister-to-sister agreements with many cities but this is definitely dear to my heart because a part of it speaks to me as a Jamaican," he said.

McKenzie said he held talks with Forbes about the KSAC providing assistance in the areas of education and culture. One of the main objectives is getting English language textbooks from Jamaica into San Andres libraries and schools.

Spanish is the island's official language but most of the people speak a form of Creole.

Cultural aid

There are also plans, McKenzie said, to send creative dance teachers from Jamaica to San Andres to help with their cultural programme.

Most San Andres residents are known as Raizals, who are of Afro-Caribbean stock. Many Jamaicans went there in the early 20th century after working on the Panama Canal. Others who followed worked as fishermen or boat-builders.