Joyful Kwanzaa

By Antoinette Okai-Koi

okai0001@algonquincollege.com

African-Americans reaffirm their African roots through the celebration of Kwanzaa, initiated by a candle lighting ceremony. This cultural time is mainly celebrated in the U.S. where the African Diaspora gives form to its traditions.

“It is not a specific religious festival, Kwanzaa is overarching. Anybody of any religion can celebrate it because it is not a substitute for Christmas,” said Daniel Olsaeuale, an economics and policy professor at Carleton University.

According to Michelle Cameron, international student advisor, Kwanzaa is more of an American celebration that the majority of the black community at Algonquin and the nation do not parttake in.

“African culture says we should look after ourselves and to make a positive impact on our community,” said Olsaeula.

The Pan-Africanism movement of the 60s called for those of African ancestry to embrace their roots and for the European colonial powers to leave it. Prominent figures in this movement such as Marcus Garvey sparked not only the nation of Islam or Rastafari movement but it branched into Kwanzaa.

“We have collective well-being to maintain all these principles all the time because the survival of the community is the responsibility of everyone,” said Olsaeula.

Kwanzaa was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga and was first celebrated from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1.

Over seven days, participates’ follow seven principles (Nguzo Saba) and seven symbols through activities such as story telling, gift giving and a traditional feast (kamarui) held on Dec.31.

“Kwanzaa developed not in Africa but in the African-American community; people of African descent carried cultural traditions through Kwanzaa,” said Olsaeuale. “It is a time for African-Americans to reaffirm an ancestry of African descent.”

The word Kwanzaa is derived from the east African language Swahili phrase, “Matunda ya Kwanza”, meaning first fruits.

“The second ‘a’ was added to stand for America. They [African-Americans] developed their own culture and language so they put aside a day to remember their heritage,” said a Ghanaian descendent Olseuale.

Karenga, a professor and administrator of Black studies at California State University, in Long Beach, created the cultural gathering as a way to unite African-Americans after a large-scale race riot that lasted six days in the neighbourhood of Watts.

Dr. Karenga’s Kwanzaa features the candle-lighting (Nguzo Saba) ceremony where a golden stool centerpiece with seven black, red and green candles, are also colours of the flag created by Marcus Garvey.

The harvest celebrations of the Ashanti tribe in West Africa, Ghana and Zulu tribe of

South Africa formed the basis for Karenga’s cultural organization called US.

“They say that Africans belong to a common family of ideals and values that is why you will find the same thing in East, West and South Africa,” said Olsaeuale.

Each night he said, the family gathers to discuss the meaning of Kwanzaa using the seven principles of Nguzo Saba, starting with the black candle at the center of the Kwanzaa setting –it is lit by a child, a kinara (candleholder) represents the original stalk from which all Africans came: our ancestry.

“When it was first created, very few people celebrated it and it spread like a gospel. Now over 20 million people celebrate it,” said Olsaeuale.