Where Harrambe comes from.
Years ago friends of mine were traveling by land rover in Kenya. They came to a shallow river and were driving across a ford in the river. They encountered an unseen dip in the river ford and it grounded out their motor. They were stuck. Kenyan people on the river bank watching started shouting “Harrambe” (har-ram-bay) and running away. They came back in a little while with a hundred people and many ropes. They all dragged the land rover out of the river to safety. When my friends thanked them the Kenyans said it was raining in the mountains and they knew the river would rise in a few hours and wash away the land rover. My friends asked, “What was that word you were shouting, harrambe?” The Kenyans laughed and said it means a work so important that everyone needs to work together to get it done. Healing ourselves and our families, healing our friends and communities and the Earth our home is work that must be done to avoid all these being swept away. I work to empower people to practice Harrambe.