Karimjee family
The Karimjee family are a Tanzanian business family of Indian origin that are the majority shareholders of Karimjee Jivanjee Ltd. Since the 1800s,[1][2] Karimjee family business ventures have included trade, agriculture,[3] real estate and motor vehicles. Members of the Karimjee family participated in public life[4] with Abdulkarim Yusufali Alibai 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 Houses of Parliament.[5]
History[edit]
The Karimjee family came to Zanzibar when Jivanjee Budhaboy emigrated in the 19th Century from Mandvi, Gujarat. He established a company, Jivanjee Budhaboy & Co., in 1825. Jivanjee Budhaboy & Co sold copra and cloves to India and brought American and German cloth to East Africa.
Jivanjee Budhaboy had four sons, three of whom are in the family records as adults: Ebrahimjee, Esmailjee and Karimjee Jivanjee (1826–1898).
The three brothers separated their business interests in 1861 and Karimjee Jivanjee set up his own business in Zanzibar, Karimjee Jivanjee & Co. He had four sons: Abdulhussein Karimjee Jivanjee (1870–1892), Hassanali Karimjee Jivanjee (1872–1918), Mohamedali Karimjee Jivanjee (1876–1940), and Yusufali Karimjee Jivanjee (1882–1966).[6]
Karimjee Jivanjee & Co continued to operate as Zanzibar became a British Protectorate in 1820 and Tanganyika followed suit in 1919 after the end of World War I. The company traded mainly in agricultural products and textiles, importing goods from Germany, India and the Far East and exporting goods to those same countries 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.
References[edit]
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Mbilinyi, Marjorie (1986). "Agribusiness and Casual Labor in Tanzania". African Economic History (15): 107–141. doi:10.2307/3601542. ISSN 0145-2258. JSTOR 3601542.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Tanzania yaadhimisha miaka 60 ya muungano". RFI (in Swahili). 2024-04-26. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ Oonk, Gijsbert (2009). The Karimjee Jivanjee family: merchant princes of East Africa 1800-2000. Amsterdam: Pallas Publications. ISBN 978-90-8555-027-3.
External links[edit]
- Official website
- Karimjee Jivanjee page in Dawoodi Bohras Website