In Swahili, an East African language, the name Kwanzaa means “first fruit of harvest,” and as we say goodbye to 2022 and welcome 2023, it’s vital that we look with optimism to the next 12 months and what it may bring, recognizing that enormous political, economic and social challenges ahead of the United States, the Caribbean, Africa, indeed most region of the world.
The week-long celebration of Kwanza that began on December 26 ends on Sunday with gift-giving and a feast which are designed to honor our cultural and historical heritage
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May the spirit of Kwanzaa live in all of us today!
Although Kwanza was created as a symbol of Black identity, Black cultural underpinning and an affirmation of black heritage, the principles and spirit is one that transcends blackness. If we look to observe it in its true sense, we should express the hope that the principles of Kwanza would be practiced on a wider scale, even beyond the millions that currently practice it.
Kwanzaa is of vital importance today, especially because of what we have faced as a people and as a world. It was created in 1966, during one of darkest periods in Los Angeles’ history, and during a crucial moment in the civil rights movement, to overcome this violence, to provide a platform to rebuild and regenerate in a spirit of equality and harmony, not just with each other and mankind, but also with nature.
Today the country and African-Americans, in particular, are faced with the ravages of white supremacy. The violence that has been plaguing our communities, not only in the United States, but in the Caribbean and around the world and in so many areas, requires some recalibration to take place as to where we go and how we organize to heal from these periods of violence, inequality, racism, and how it’s directed to us as a people.
Kwanzaa, with its message of communal self-affirmation, as well as celebrating heritage, and history of our people, speaks to the principle of how we can live in harmony with ourselves, with others and with nature. It’s a beautiful combination of not just a Black holiday or not just a holiday, but a celebration of basic values of African culture and principles that have been well lived and demonstrated through centuries.
These principles bode well for us in life, and we should use them as a guiding principles through our daily activities and a guide to how we treat one another. These principals have a Swahili background and the translation is universal in its values and its beauty.
Umoja (Unity)
To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)
To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.
Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility)
To build and maintain our community together and make our community’s problems our problems and to solve them together.
Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)
To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.
Nia (Purpose)
To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
Kuumba (Creativity)
To do always as much as we can to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
Imani (Faith)
To believe with all our hearts in our people and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.
The principles of unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, corporate economics. Status building black businesses, purpose, creativity, and faith. These are strong principles that we should all look to live by and to be reinforced during the period of Kwanza and the spirit of affirmation of what is good in us as human beings and the reminder of the value we have as a people through our history and culture.
The principles of Kwanzaa was an answer to a violent time in the history of the United States towards black and brown people. The value of Kwanzaa today is a response to the racism we have faced, not to be caught and believe in what is being perpetrated, but to resist and to organize around those principles that has served our community for centuries and is now being reaffirmed in this celebration of Kwanzaa and what it means to black people worldwide and what it should.
To all people in the strive to live in
harmony with each other and in harm-
ony with nature, because long before the climate crisis was recognized, principles. Of Kwanza that existed in our heritage was how to live in nature, in harmony, and we need to reform those principles. We need to expand this cultural discovery.
This is a formula to build a strong and resilient community.
Happy Kwanzaa!
