A documentary about the Sister City program: Chicago (Windy) and Casablanca (White). Layalina Prods presents, written and directed by Richard Martini; "White City, Windy City." In the Eisenhower era, the Sister City program began pairing cities from across the globe with cities in the U.S. Two of the oldest members are Casablanca (White City) and Chicago (Windy City). This is the pilot episode for a series that would focus on the similarities of cultures, rather than their differences. For example, Morocco is a predominantly Muslim country, yet was the first country to recognize the United States as a country. Casablanca considers itself a "melting pot" for all religions as does Chicago In this documentary, the Imam of the largest Mosque outside of Mecca is interviewed and his sentiments echo the same words that the Mayor of Chicago has when asked about the Sister City program. There are many females working in positions of power in Moroccan society there are interviews with a Judge, Member of Parliament, and a Doctor who detail what it's like for a woman in their country. There are interviews with Casablancans living in Chicago and Chicagoans who live in Casablanca. The former Mayor Richard M Daley is interviewed, and the documentary looks at the long cultural history between both cities. This program is available through Layalina TV. For more information please contact President of Layalina, Leon Shahabian. (Layalina Productions is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public diplomacy initiative based in Washington, D.C., that develops, produces and distributes television programming throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Inaugurated in March 2002, Layalina aims to dispel negative stereotypes of the other and help increase mutual understanding between the U.S. and Arab-speaking countries. The organization's following has been notably bipartisan, with leading foreign policy veterans and media experts from both Republican and Democratic backgrounds making up the organization’s Board of Directors and Board of Counselors including Henry A. Kissinger, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Sam Nunn, and former President George H. W. Bush.)

• published: 04 Dec 2014
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