- Harambee
Harambee is a
Kenya n tradition of community self-help events, eg.fundraising or community development activities. "Harambee" is also the official motto of Kenya and appears on its coat of arms."Harambee" literally means "working together for a common purpose" in
Swahili , and may range from informal affairs lasting a few hours in which invitations are spread by word of mouth, to formal, multi-day events advertised in newspapers. These events have long been important in parts ofEast Africa as ways to build and maintain communities.Following Kenya's independence in
1963 , the first Prime Minister and later first President of KenyaJomo Kenyatta adopted "Harambee" as a concept of pulling the country together to build a new nation. He encouraged communities to work together to raise funds for all sorts of local projects, pledging that the government would provide their startup costs. Under this system, wealthy individuals wishing to get into politics could donate large amounts of money to local harambee drives, thereby gaining legitimacy; however, such practices were never institutionalised during Kenyatta's presidency.Controversy
Some conservative Christians in Kenya have opposed the use of the word "Harambee", alleging that it is derived from an expression of praise to a
Hindu deity- Ambee Mata (a reincarnation of Durga riding a Tiger). The railway linesmen carrying huge loads of iron rails and sleeper blocks would chant "har, har ambee!" (priase praise to Ambee mother) when working. The first president, Jomo Kenyatta has been said to have witnessed a railway line team as it worked in cohesion and harmony. It represented the metaphor he wanted to reflect a nation working together and communicating and sharing its load. Others dismiss such objections, arguing that this explanation of the word's origin, even if true, is irrelevant to its modern usage and meaning. [ [http://www.hinduismtoday.com/hpi/2003/7/5.shtml#4 "Kenyan National Motto Controversial to Some"] , "Hindu Press International,"July 5 ,2003 ] [ [http://allafrica.com/stories/200805051353.html "Kenya: What's in a Name? Goddesses Have Always Been Worshipped"] , "The Nation,"May 5 ,2008 ]References
External links
* [http://boleswa97.tripod.com/chieni.htm The "Harambee Movement" in Kenya]
* [http://www.tikenya.org/documents/Adili37.pdf Harambe: The spirit of giving or reaping?]
* [http://www.tikenya.org/documents/Harambee2000.doc Transparency International report on Harambee activity 2000-2002]
* [http://www.harambee.org/ Harambee Center] in Pasadena, CA
* [http://www.vivaharambee.com/hcda/index.htm Harambee Community Development Association] in Renton, WA
* [http://www.harambeecentre.org/ Harambee Centre] in Portland, OR
* [http://www.harambeenews.blogspot.com/ Harambee News] Newspaper of the Black Caucus of CalSACC
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