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Glite Dictionary
🪑 A long bench 👥 A council meeting
baraza

baraza

9.7
A long bench outside a house or shop where people sit and talk
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : baraza
  • The first transformation involves the emergence of massive baraza (stoops) at the base of Michenzani stairwells built with the financial contributions of residents who use the stairs.

Examples

  • Laura Fair also noted that in Zanzibar Town, leisure time spent in the baraza talking was "an essential element of community membership."

    Academic text (2006)

  • The role of baraza is deeply embedded in Swahili cultural history as major loci of social interaction through neighborliness (Allen 1979; Donley 1982; Myers 1994).

    Academic text (1994)

  • In many East African towns, families gather in the baraza to share stories and enjoy each other's company.

  • The community organized a meeting at the baraza to discuss plans for the upcoming festival.

  • Elders often sit on the baraza to offer advice and share wisdom with younger generations.

Synonyms

seating area
vsbaraza
5 1.4

A part of a room with seats for several people to sit

is a particular long outdoor seat used for conversation
banca
vsbaraza
8.9

A long seat for several people, often made of wood, used outdoors

focuses on a communal outdoor seat used for people to sit and talk
klop
vsbaraza
9.9

A long seat where several people can sit, often in parks

is an outdoor social seat near homes or shops for conversation
adda
vsbaraza
  • Indian
9.9

A place where people regularly meet to talk and relax

is a specific long outdoor seat mainly used for group talk

How Comfortable

sofa
257 1.0
armchair
42 1.0
baraza
  • UK
9.7
bench
210 1.0
stool
95 1.0

Surface Forms

baraza singular
barazas plural

Etymology

Baraza comes from Swahili and originally meant a long 'bench' or seat outside a house where people gather to sit and talk. Picture a family on that shared bench — that image helps explain why baraza today means a place to sit and chat.