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{{Short description|Kenyan tradition of community self-help events}}
{{About|the Kenyan tradition|the gorilla that was shot|Harambe|other uses}}
{{more citations needed|date=November 2016}}
[[File:Coat of arms of Kenya (Official).svg|thumb|[[Coat of arms of Kenya]]]]
'''Harambee''' is a Kenyan tradition of community self-help events, e.g. [[fundraising]] or development activities. The word 'Harambee' means "all pull together" in [[Swahili language|Swahili]], and is the official [[List of national mottos|motto]] of Kenya, appearing on its [[Coat of arms of Kenya|coat of arms]].<ref name="musau-bbc">{{cite news |last1=Musau |first1=Mwende Mutuli |title=Harambee: The law of generosity that rules Kenya |url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20201004-harambee-the-kenyan-word-that-birthed-a-nation |work=BBC News |date=5 October 2020 }}</ref><ref name="njuguna-journal">{{cite journal |last1=Ng'ethe |first1=Njuguna |title=Politics, Ideology and the Underprivileged: The Origins and Nature of the Harambee Phenomenon in Kenya |journal=Journal of Eastern African Research & Development |date=1983 |volume=13 |pages=150–170 |jstor=24325584 }}</ref>

Harambee events 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 of [[East Africa]], as ways to build and maintain communities.

== History ==
Following [[Kenya]]'s independence in 1963, the first Prime Minister, and later first [[President of Kenya]], [[Jomo 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.

==Etymology==

The etymology of the term is unclear, but has been cited as genuinely [[Bantu languages|Bantu]]. It is thought to have been first used by Swahili porters when lifting heavy loads and was originally spelt ''Halambee''.<ref name="njuguna-journal" /> However, according to a [[folk etymology]], the word is said to have originated from Indian labourers responsible for building the [[Uganda Railway]]. According to this account, the labourers would invoke Hare, the divine energy of God, and Ambe, a Hindu goddess, during the construction.<ref name="musau-bbc" />

==Criticism==

===Religious criticism===
Kenyan Christians have criticised the use of the word ''harambee'' as an official term due to its alleged Hindu origin. This objection has been dismissed as being offensive to the country's Hindu community,<ref name="ayaga-standard">{{cite news | url=https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/nairobi/article/2001344750/keep-harambee-in-coat-of-arms-says-parliament | title=Keep 'harambee' in coat of arms, says Parliament | work=The Standard | date=11 June 2020 | access-date=25 August 2022 | author=Ayaga, Wilfred}}</ref> and also on the basis that even if the supposed derivation from ''hare Ambeh'' (hail Ambeh) were true, it has become irrelevant to the term's modern usage and meaning.<ref name="wamuli-africanchurch">{{cite news | url=https://allafrica.com/stories/200307010775.html | title=Kenya: Some Christians Want National Motto Changed | work=African Church Information Service (Nairobi) | date=30 June 2003 | access-date=25 August 2022 | author=Wamuli, Muuna}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Warah |first1=Rasna |title=Kenya: What's in a Name? Goddesses Have Always Been Worshipped |url=https://allafrica.com/stories/200805051353.html |work=DailyNation |date=5 May 2008 }}</ref>

===Attempted replacement===
In January 2002, the Risk Advisory Group Ltd commissioned by [[Daniel arap Moi|President Moi's]] administration as part of the anti-corruption efforts recommended the abolition of harambee, or the spirit of pulling together.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000092053/efforts-to-end-corruption-in-harambees |title=Efforts to end corruption in harambees |work=The Standard |date=27 August 2013 |first1=Joseph |last1=Karimi }}</ref>

In 2003 when the [[National Rainbow Coalition|National Rainbow Coalition NARC]] took over from the [[Kenya African National Union|Kenya African National Union KANU]], President [[Mwai Kibaki]] enacted the Public Officers Ethics Act which prohibited members of parliament and cabinet secretaries from presiding over harambee events.{{fact|date=May 2022}}

In February 2018, a petition was presented to the Kenyan parliament and [[Senate of Kenya|senate]], seeking to have the word "harambee" removed from the coat of arms on the claim that it represents a Hindu goddess.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001269763/petition-over-word-harambee-splits-senators |title=Petition over word 'harambee' splits senators |work=The Standard |date=15 February 2018 |first1=Daniel |last1=Psirmoi }}</ref> The petition was rejected on the grounds that it would be discriminatory towards Hindus and the [[Hindi language]], that the word ''Harambee'' is internationally recognised, and that the cost incurred in changing the coat of arms would be significant.<ref name="ayaga-standard" />

==See also==
*[[Harambee Stars]], the Kenya national football team

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last1=Hill |first1=Martin |title=The Harambee Movement in Kenya: Self-Help, Development and Education Among the Kamba of Kitui District |date=2021 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-000-32463-1 |doi=10.4324/9781003136538 |s2cid=241726397 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Mbithi |first1=Philip M. |title='Harambee' Self-Help: The Kenyan Approach |journal=The African Review |date=1972 |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=147–166 |jstor=45341230 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Mbithi |first1=Philip M. |last2=Rasmusson |first2=Rasmus |url=https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-526 |title=Self Reliance in Kenya: The Case of Harambee |date=1977 |publisher=Nordic Africa Institute |isbn=978-91-7106-121-8}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Ngau |first1=Peter M. |title=Tensions in Empowerment: The Experience of the 'Harambee' (Self-Help) Movement in Kenya |journal=Economic Development and Cultural Change |date=1987 |volume=35 |issue=3 |pages=523–538 |doi=10.1086/451602 |jstor=1153928 |s2cid=153870731 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Thomas |first1=Barbara P. |title=Development through Harambee: Who wins and who loses? Rural self-help projects in Kenya |journal=World Development |date=1 April 1987 |volume=15 |issue=4 |pages=463–481 |doi=10.1016/0305-750X(87)90114-8 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Wilson |first1=L. S. |title=The ''Harambee'' movement and efficient public good provision in Kenya |journal=Journal of Public Economics |date=1 June 1992 |volume=48 |issue=1 |pages=1–19 |doi=10.1016/0047-2727(92)90039-I }}

==External links==
*[http://boleswa97.tripod.com/chieni.htm The "Harambee Movement" in Kenya]

[[Category:African philosophy]]
[[Category:Community building]]
[[Category:Cooperative economics]]
[[Category:Fundraising]]
[[Category:Jomo Kenyatta]]
[[Category:Culture of Kenya]]
[[Category:National mottos]]
[[Category:Politics of Kenya]]
[[Category:Swahili words and phrases]]