2008 Woodie Awards
Kwanzaa
The Most Recently Created American Tradition and Holiday Celebration
Angelina Martinez
Issue date: 12/10/01 Section: News
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Kwanzaa is a cultural festival, which reaffirms African cultures and values. The name Kwanzaa comes from matunda ya kwanza, which is Swahili for “first fruits.” The festival evolved from harvest celebrations, which were recorded during the earliest periods of African history. Currently, an estimated 26 million people on every continent in the world celebrate this holiday.
Although Kwanzaa’s roots were established by ancient African history and culture, it was developed and reconstructed as a modern African American tradition in 1966. Maulana Karenga, an activist scholar, created the Kwanzaa celebration in the United States, over 30 years ago, during the Black Freedom Movement of the 1960s. The Organization Us, which Karenga chairs, first celebrated Kwanzaa, as it is known today.
The seven-day celebration begins on December 26 and continues through January 1. The seven days represent the seven principles, or Nguzo Saba, and one day is set aside for discussion and reflection of each of the principles. Each principle bears an African name and refers to fundamental principles Karenga felt were especially relevant to contemporary African Americans: Umoja/Unity, Kujichagulia/Self-Determination, Ujima/Collective Work and Responsibility, Ujamaa/Cooperative Economics, Nia/Purpose, Kuumba/Creativity, and Imani/Faith.
As explained in Karenga’s Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture (1998), Kwanzaa is organized around five fundamental kinds of activities that originated in ancient African harvest or first-fruit celebrations. These activities are (1) the intergathering of the people to reinforce the bonds between them, especially the bonds of family, community, and culture. (2) Special reverence for the Creator and creation in gratitude for the bountifulness and goodness of the earth and in commitment to preserve and protect it. (3) Commemoration of the past, to fulfill the obligation to remember and honor ancestors and to teach and reaffirm the mission and meaning of African history. (4) Recommitment to the highest African culture values – ethical and spiritual values that bring forth the best of what it means to be African and human. (5) Celebration of the good of life – that is, the good of family, community, and culture; of relationships; of old age and youth; of knowledge and sharing; of work and wonder; and of all things of benefit and blessing. Moreover, at the heart of these activities and the meaning of this celebration is the Nguzo Saba or the seven principles.
Although Kwanzaa’s roots were established by ancient African history and culture, it was developed and reconstructed as a modern African American tradition in 1966. Maulana Karenga, an activist scholar, created the Kwanzaa celebration in the United States, over 30 years ago, during the Black Freedom Movement of the 1960s. The Organization Us, which Karenga chairs, first celebrated Kwanzaa, as it is known today.
The seven-day celebration begins on December 26 and continues through January 1. The seven days represent the seven principles, or Nguzo Saba, and one day is set aside for discussion and reflection of each of the principles. Each principle bears an African name and refers to fundamental principles Karenga felt were especially relevant to contemporary African Americans: Umoja/Unity, Kujichagulia/Self-Determination, Ujima/Collective Work and Responsibility, Ujamaa/Cooperative Economics, Nia/Purpose, Kuumba/Creativity, and Imani/Faith.
As explained in Karenga’s Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture (1998), Kwanzaa is organized around five fundamental kinds of activities that originated in ancient African harvest or first-fruit celebrations. These activities are (1) the intergathering of the people to reinforce the bonds between them, especially the bonds of family, community, and culture. (2) Special reverence for the Creator and creation in gratitude for the bountifulness and goodness of the earth and in commitment to preserve and protect it. (3) Commemoration of the past, to fulfill the obligation to remember and honor ancestors and to teach and reaffirm the mission and meaning of African history. (4) Recommitment to the highest African culture values – ethical and spiritual values that bring forth the best of what it means to be African and human. (5) Celebration of the good of life – that is, the good of family, community, and culture; of relationships; of old age and youth; of knowledge and sharing; of work and wonder; and of all things of benefit and blessing. Moreover, at the heart of these activities and the meaning of this celebration is the Nguzo Saba or the seven principles.