Unterrichtsstunde · Festival · 🇰🇪 Kenya

Mashujaa Day - Heroes' Day

Kenya's national day for celebrating ordinary heroes

The flag of Kenya

Photo · Wikimedia Commons · Flag of Kenya

Was ist das?

Mashujaa Day is a public holiday in Kenya held every year on 20 October. The word mashujaa is Swahili for 'heroes'. It is a day to say thank you to the people who have helped make Kenya the country it is - including everyday heroes like teachers, farmers, doctors, athletes and volunteers.

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On Mashujaa Day, schools, towns and cities across Kenya hold parades, concerts, sports matches and speeches. The Kenyan flag - black, red, green and white, with a Maasai warrior's shield in the middle - is hung up everywhere. Many people wear the colours of the flag for the day.

It used to be called 'Kenyatta Day', named after one specific person. In 2010, Kenya changed the name to Mashujaa Day so the whole country could honour many heroes, not just one. The new name was a way of saying: heroes come in all shapes and sizes.

Lots of schools spend the week before Mashujaa Day talking about who their own heroes are. Sometimes children invite a 'hero' to their school - a grandparent, a teacher, a sports coach, a nurse - and say thank you. Some schools put on a big assembly with songs, traditional dances and short plays.

A hero in Kenyan tradition isn't just someone famous. The country uses the day to thank quiet heroes too - the farmer who feeds the village, the teacher who stays late, the children who help a younger sibling get to school. Heroes are anywhere someone helps someone else.

Im Unterricht

In 15 Minuten mit Ihrer Klasse durchgehen.

Gemeinsam sprechen

Impulse für das Gespräch

  1. 01Who is a hero in your life that other people might not know about? What makes them one?
  2. 02If you could invite one 'hero' into your classroom for a day, who would you choose and what would you ask them?
  3. 03Why might it be important to have a day to say thank you to people?
Probiert das aus

Aktivität für den Unterricht

Each pupil picks one person who is a hero to them (someone they actually know). Write a one-paragraph thank-you note explaining why. As a class, decorate the notes and either post them or take them home. Optional: invite a few of those people in for a 'Mashujaa Assembly'.

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