Spirit of Harambee Seeing Us Through: Diaspora checking on each other
These have been trying times unlike anything we have witnessed in the recent past, a
pandemic that has almost ground to a standstill every aspect of our lives. Amidst all the
gloom, people have found a way to keep up hope by coming together and teaming up
to confront this menace.
For most Kenyans, it’s our spirit of harambee that has helped us cope with this crisis. It’s the neighbour checking on fellow neighbor, and sharing the little they have to make it through. It’s the faith leader volunteering their time and resources to lead an initiative to feed the most vulnerable amongst us. It’s the diaspora checking on each other, and sending home the little they can spare to take care of family and needy friends. This is the spirit of harambee exemplified par excellence.
It has taken this pandemic to remind us that together we can accomplish so much.
The actions we think of as ‘small’ things are anything but small. That phone call to
check on a colleague’s welfare, or the text sent to encourage someone go a long way in
lifting our spirits and showing us that we are not alone. And this is how it’s supposed
to be. Remember, we’re the people from the land where it takes a village to raise a
child.
The esprit de corps that we’re experiencing at the moment also informs us on the
way forward. With the travel/movement restrictions instituted as a result of this
pandemic, it has meant that individual countries have been left to deal with their
challenges on their own. This time, the elites can’t sneak abroad for specialized treatment, they’ll have to seek it in their home countries.
This calls for the development of home grown solutions. These can be tailor made to address our challenges and implemented at our own pace. We can be able to weigh the pros and cons and
safeguard our interests.
We will eventually overcome this crisis, but the lesson must not be lost. We are better placed when we hold our fate in our own hands rather than leaving it to outsiders. Let us embark on developing our own homegrown solutions to solve our challenges. Long Live Kenya. Long Live Africa.
Kiongo Muigai.
Birmingham, AL.
Spirit of Harambee Seeing Us Through: Diaspora checking on each other
