Kwanzaa observances developed for culture

Published 12:00 am Friday, December 17, 2004

By SUE ELLEN ROSS

Staff Reporter

RIVER PARISHES – In 1966, Dr. Maulana Karenga of California State University felt the urgent need to preserve, continually revitalize and promote African Culture. To that end, he created ‘Kwanzaa,’ an African American and Pan-African holiday.

Dr. Karenga, a college professor and chairman of the Department of Black Studies at the University, stressed that the event is not a religious one, but instead a cultural one.

Thus, Africans of all faiths participate each year.

The celebration takes place from December 26 through January 1. It’s origins are in the very first harvests in Africa, reflecting the signs of those times.

Kwanzaa comes from the words, ‘matunda ya kwanza,’ which translates to ‘first fruits’ in Swahili. Swahili is widely- spoken African language.

The celebration focuses on family, community and culture.

There are five fundamental activities of The Continental African ‘first fruit’ that Kwanzaa is built upon. Those are in-gathering; reverence; commemoration; re-commitment; and celebration.

Millions of Africans take part in Kwanzaa programs each year. It is an expression of recovery and reconstruction of African culture which was conducted in the general context of the Black Liberation Movement of the 60s; and in the specific context of, ‘The Organization Us,’ which is the founding organization of Kwanzaa and the authoritative keeper of its tradition.

There are seven principles involved in the celebration Those are: unity; self-determination; collective work and responsibility; cooperative economics; purpose; creativity; and faith.

In African history, first fruits events can be found as far back as ancient Egypt and Nubia.