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Karimjee family

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Tanzanian business family

The Karimjee family are a Tanzanian business family of Indian origin and owners of the Karimjee Group. Since the 1800s, Karimjee family business ventures have included trade, agriculture, real estate and various products in the mobility sector. Members of the Karimjee family have participated in public service with Abdulkarim Karimjee serving as Speaker of the National Assembly from 1956 to 1962. Karimjee Hall was donated by the family to the Dar es Salaam Municipal Council in 1955. It was used at various times as the Legislative Assembly and the first Houses of Parliament.

History

The Karimjee family came to Zanzibar when Jivanjee Budhabhoy emigrated in the 19th Century from Mandvi, Gujarat. He established a company, Jivanjee Budhabhoy & Co., in 1825. Jivanjee Budhabhoy & Co sold copra and cloves among other items to India and brought American and European cloth to East Africa.

Jivanjee Budhabhoy had five children, including Karimjee Jivanjee (1826–1898). In 1861 Karimjee Jivanjee set up his own business in Zanzibar, Karimjee Jivanjee & Co.

Karimjee Jivanjee had one son, Alibhai Karimjee Jivanjee (1851-1883). Alibhai Karimjee Jivanjee married Fatema Jafferjee and they had four sons: Abdulhussein Karimjee Jivanjee (1870- 1892), Hassanali Karimjee Jivanjee (1872-1918), Mohamedali Karimjee Jivanjee (1876-1940), and Yusufali Karimjee Jivanjee (1882-1966). Alibhai Karimjee Jivanjee passed away at a young age, and his sons were raised by their mother Fatema Jafferjee and their grandfather Karimjee Jivanjee.

Karimjee Jivanjee & Co continued to operate, trading mainly in agricultural products and textiles, importing goods from Europe, the Far East, India and exporting goods to those same destinations as well as The Seychelles, Mauritius and Ceylon. Karimjee Jivanjee & Co owned a vast fleet of dhows which were used especially to trade with ports up and down the Swahili Coast.

Growth and diversification

Between 1915 and 1925, Karimjee Jivanjee & Co. established branch offices in Mombasa, Dar es Salaam Tanga, Lindi, and Mikindani.

References

  1. Heilman, Bruce; Lucas, John (1997). "A Social Movement for African Capitalism? A Comparison of Business Associations in Two African Cities". African Studies Review. 40 (2): 141–171. doi:10.2307/525160. ISSN 0002-0206. JSTOR 525160.
  2. Mehta, Makrand (2001). "Gujarati Business Communities in East African Diaspora: Major Historical Trends". Economic and Political Weekly. 36 (20): 1738–1747. ISSN 0012-9976. JSTOR 4410637.
  3. Mbilinyi, Marjorie (1986). "Agribusiness and Casual Labor in Tanzania". African Economic History (15): 107–141. doi:10.2307/3601542. ISSN 0145-2258. JSTOR 3601542.
  4. Fair, Laura (2013). "Drive-In Socialism: Debating Modernities and Development in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania". The American Historical Review. 118 (4): 1077–1104. doi:10.1093/ahr/118.4.1077. ISSN 0002-8762. JSTOR 23785435.
  5. "Tanzania yaadhimisha miaka 60 ya muungano". RFI (in Swahili). 2024-04-26. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  6. Oonk, Gijsbert (2009). The Karimjee Jivanjee family: merchant princes of East Africa 1800-2000. Amsterdam: Pallas Publications. ISBN 978-90-8555-027-3.
  7. Oonk, Gijsbert (2017), "Karimjee Jivanjee & Co. in Tanzania, 1860–2000: a case for 'diasporic family firms'", Mobility between Africa, Asia and Latin America, Zed Books Ltd, ISBN 978-1-350-22140-6, retrieved 2024-09-02

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