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Today it means

harambee

a tradition of communal effort and mutual assistance, especially in East Africa

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Where does the word "harambee" come from? It comes from Swahili harambee, and was adopted directly into English (1960s).

Read the full story

Where does the word "harambee" come from? It comes from Swahili harambee, and was adopted directly into English (1960s).

Harambee’s story begins in Swahili: harambee meant “let us pull together.” Literally let us pull together, a call for communal effort and cooperation. It reached English by 1960s as harambee. Jomo Kenyatta made it Kenya's rallying cry for self-help at independence in 1963. Today, harambee means a tradition of communal effort and mutual assistance, especially in East Africa.

  1. Stage 1 · Swahili · medieval harambee "let us pull together", literally let us pull together, a call for communal effort and cooperation.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1960s harambee "a spirit of communal effort and cooperation", Jomo Kenyatta made it Kenya's rallying cry for self-help at independence in 1963.

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