One of the key motivations for us to set up Harambee Africa was to have a space where we could give people an insight into how African people actually live. This might seem like an unambitious target but, when you look at the media landscape today, you will notice that the world is starved of quality curated content about African lifestyle.

The stories we are looking to share about African lifestyle will highlight the wonderful diversity and richness of life across the continent. From simple stories of how people across the continent socialise with their friends and family to behind the scenes at the most extravagant events, we want to showcase the best in African living. This will give readers a deeper appreciation and understanding of the many faces of Africa.

Our own personal stories highlight the diversity we wish to highlight.

Clive

I was born and raised in Zimbabwe to a dad who grew up in a rural area and a mum who grew up in the city. Growing up I got to appreciate the differences in rural and urban life as well as the similarities.

One of the similarities is how we would socialise with friends and family in their homes in preference to going out. Entertaining loved ones in your own home, no matter how much or how little you have, is a key custom that people have maintained in rural and urban areas and helps strengthen community ties. I have tried to replicate this in my own life where I have found a community of like-minded people with whom I enjoy socialising with, especially in a home environment. As a close-knit group of friends, we have a culture of giving without counting the cost knowing that that generosity will be replicated.

One of the differences I noticed growing up was in the food served to guests in the rural versus urban areas. In the rural areas, hosts made the meal a much more central part of the experience – partly because the food was usually made fresh from ingredients grown in fields and livestock kept around the house. In the city however, people were less self-sufficient and relied more on store bought food, particularly snacks. This meant the food was a less prominent part of entertaining guests. While I live in the city now, I have also tried to make food a central element in social occasions even when it’s not possible to prepare something fresh.

As I have gotten older, my appreciation for the experiences I had growing up in Zimbabwe has increased and now I want to share those and learn about other people’s experiences.

Eyob

I consider myself one of the lucky ones. I say this humbly as I know that if I wasn’t raised in such a diverse Ethiopian family, I wouldn’t have had the experiences that I’ve had so far. Like Clive, my dad grew up in a rural area, made his way from being a teacher in high-school, to signing-up to the police force and then intelligence serving under King Haile Selaisse the third. My mother grew up in the city that went from housewife to a clothing and wedding stylist.

They both had big families and I grew up surrounded by lots of cousins, uncles, and aunties. Entertaining with loved ones was a big part of our lifestyle as well and no matter how much or how little you have, good food, laughing and dancing was at the centre of our connection. The culture of giving, sharing and kindness is something that I truly cherish and has been a big part of the values that I’m now instilling in my kids.

I was born in Ethiopia and moved to Egypt at the age of one and lived there for 8 years. I remember those times clearly as they were a stark contrast to when my brother and I moved back to Ethiopia and met our extended family for the first time. Even in Egypt, my parents were always entertaining and had a lot of people around them. This time it was extended to the wider African community that they were a part off. Growing up in Egypt was incredible for us and yes, I got to see the Pyramids and Aswan.

Moving back to Ethiopia, we spent a lot of time with our grandmother who used to lay out rows of traditional straw mats in the front yard filled with chilli, spices and more to dry. The colours, the aroma and her constant care brings heartfelt memories to me. I remember my brother and I, ever so restless would grab a stick and play around with the chilli till it eventually found its way to our eyes.

My fondest memories come from our yearly celebrations. September 11 is Ethiopian New Year and Yellow Adey Abeba (daisies) surrounds the fields of rural areas. 10 days after the celebration of Meskel takes place and our family travelled to our great grandmother’s house in rural Ethiopia where we slept in straw huts next cows and donkey’s. Meskel was a big celebration for the Gurage tribe that I come from and its 7-days of eating Kitfo in banana leaves. Local, herbal Areke was served with the Kitfo with big bon fires lit to mark the celebration.

Christianity orthodox culture and lifestyle also played a big part of living in Ethiopia. The sea of white netela (head scarves) at churches was a scene that reflected our strong beliefs and hopes for the future. For my family, it was fasting during lent which meant no meat, poultry or fish (all vegan) for over 40 days as we make our way to festive Easter celebration.

There have been times when I wrestled with my Ethiopian background and integrating and getting to understand Western culture was a challenge. The one thing that I can say while reflecting on my experience and lifestyle in a big city is the values of giving, sharing and kindness is something people seek and wish to value. I hope that by sharing our stories we can showcase and live as Africans every day.