As per tradition, members of the Alliance meet on the 21st of June (winter/summer solstice) each year at 7pm local time for the Global Rendezvous. These dinner events provide an opportunity to strengthen the bonds of collaboration amongst Harambeans, reintroduce Harambeans to the values and traditions of the Alliance and familiarize prospective Harambeans with the spirit of the Alliance. They also serve to reaffirm Harambeans’ pledge to ‘work together as one’ to build Africa’s future. The dinners, organized by Harambeans also allow Harambeans to connect and form meaningful connections in a relaxed environment outside of the major Harambe events. In 2023, 53 Harambeans in 10 different cities across three continents took part in this special tradition.
Each dinner follows the same agenda, which starts with a reading. This is followed by the rose, thorn and bud reflective activity. In under a minute, attendees share a personal or professional victory (rose), a personal or professional challenge they’ve experienced in the last few months (thorn) and an emerging opportunity in their personal or professional realm (bud). To end the dinner on a positive note, each Harambean is invited to share a wish. If they were to gather a year from now, what would have come true? The evening ends with a closing reading and the obligatory selfie!
“I choose to attend the Global Rendezvous gathering to reconnect with other Harambeans and meet new ones; to be inspired by how much has been done, and re-focussed on how much remains to be done.” Matthew de la Hey H’15, Co-founder and CEO of inploi
“I attend the Global Rendezvous because I love the Harambean network and values – I can’t wait to spend time with this phenomenal group of people committed to building Africa’s future.” Frank Williams H’23, Co-founder and CEO of TopSet