By Mayaneye
~~The Richmond Kwanzaa Kollective is a coalition of Grassroot organizations and "conscious" individuals who are working toward the mental, spiritual and social liberation of black people. The aim is to build unity and solidarity and to preserve the integrity of Kwanzaa~~One question that is often tough for many us to answer is “What is African American culture.†One reason this question may be so difficult to answer is because there isn’t really a clear definition of what culture is and thus many of us probably don’t understand exactly what it means. Some scholars define culture as “the way of life for an entire society.†This means that culture could encompass manners, dress, language, religion, rituals, norms of behavior and systems of belief. Another common way of looking at culture is the understanding that it consists of four elements: values, norms, institutions, and artifacts. These four elements are taught and spread from one generation to the next. In 2002, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization described culture as follows: "... culture should be regarded as the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group, and that it encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs". Under each of these understandings I think there is a case to be made that African Americans, specifically those that are descendents of slaves, have a distinct definable culture. Our culture is evident in our music, art, literature, dance, food, spirituality, traditions and more. I think the main reason why many of us may feel that we do not have a culture is because so much of culture is our way of life and thus we take it for granted and don’t truly embrace it. One cultural tradition that should be more widely embraced by African Americans is Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa is a unique African American celebration with focus on the traditional African values of family, community responsibility, commerce, and self-improvement. It is not a political or religious tradition and it is not a substitution for Christmas. It was created to reaffirm and restore our roots in African culture as well as to serve as a regular communal celebration to reaffirm and reinforce the bonds between us as a people. Kwanzaa was founded in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga and is an adaptation of the traditional African first harvest celebration. It is celebrated from December 26th thru January 1st. The term Kwanzaa is derived from the Swahili phrase “matunda ya kwanza†which means “first fruits.†It is said that an extra ‘a’ was added to the end of spelling to differentiate that African American tradition from the African celebration. The American celebration is based on the African concept of the Nguzo Saba, which are seven basic values of African culture and each day recognizes one of those principles. Nguzo Saba is more commonly known as the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa. They are Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), and my personal favorite Imani (Faith). On each day of Kwanzaa family and friends come together to reflect on the meaning of each principle. The daily ceremony may consist of the lighting of the candle(s) followed by a statement about the day's principle and its meaning. Then possibly a passage or poem is spoken or read which relates to what the principle means and how it relates to their life. Finally, the family shares the Unity cup and they may exchange education and/or artistic gifts and then the candles are extinguished. This is the basic ritual except for on the sixth day. On the sixth day, which occurs on New Years Eve, the Kwanzaa Karamu or Kwanzaa Feast is held. This is a day of great celebration. Often in many communities a celebration is held for the entire community. Kwanzaa is a tradition that we can and should embrace this holiday season. It is a way to reconnect with the ancestors as well as to reaffirm our connection to our culture and belief system.
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