Every year, from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, the intricacies of Black culture and identities are shamelessly embraced through Pan-African ideas during Kwanzaa. Created in 1966 by Dr, Maulana Karenga as a means to connect African Americans to their ancestral roots, it is a cornerstone in the mission toward a unified diaspora.
Since traditions from various African harvest festivals inspired Kwanzaa’s conception, it is a celebration and reflection of individuals’ successes and growth over the course of a year.
During the festive week, 12.5 million people worldwide who observe Kwan highlight the seven principles or “Nguzo Saba”: Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity) and Imani (faith).
With relayed histories during the holiday season primarily encompassing Eurocentric details, especially Christmas, Kwanzaa serves as the African diaspora’s reclamation of the histories it was so forcefully torn from during colonialism.
“Kwanzaa was this addendum to Christmas,” said Khadijah McCaskill, educator at the Morris-Jumel Mansion, during a panel about holiday histories. “It was an opportunity for Black people to see themselves reflected in the holiday season and just a way for us to foster community and cultural pride through [the] seven principles.”
Nguzo Saba: A Way of Intentional Living
Kimyatta Newby and his family began participating in Kwanzaa within the last decade, upon realizing Christmas didn’t resonate with them. The change, rooted in a desire for strengthened communal and familial bonds, turns away from the increase in consumer spending present in the United States during this time of year.
Each day of Kwanzaa, Newby’s family will yell out the respective principle followed by a conversation highlighting how each member practiced it that year. At night, they collectively discuss their intentions for the following year and how to implement the philosophy in their daily lives, celebrating each others’ triumphs and drinking from the Kikombe cha Umoja (unity cup).
Newby doesn’t consider the Nguzo Saba as mere concepts but as a way of living and acting intentionally, grateful for the reflective week to begin the year with the values established within them.
“I think it helps me shape and strengthen my Pan-Africanism because Black folks in America aren’t just speaking Swahili on some casual concept,” he said. “That’s something that takes more research and effort and interest beyond just the North American continent… because who am I to speak another language, but to ignore the outside world or to ignore folks back home on the continent.”
A Generational Commitment to Umoja, Ujima and Ujamaa
Karen Massalley, owner of DMV-based floral design company Massalley Design, has celebrated Kwanzaa for at least 40 years.
Raised in South Carolina, Massalley and her family weren’t aware of the Pan-African celebration or its principles until she left home for college. Even still, she absorbed the values of Umoja, Ujima and Ujamaa at a young age as she was surrounded by entrepreneurs.
“My mother… really instilled a lot of African traditions about community and cooperative economics,” said Massalley. “My grandmother, my great grandmother and my father– they were all store owners, so a lot of things we did were just part of Southern tradition and Black tradition, and they tied in with what Kwanzaa is all about.”
Unlike her own experience, Massalley raised her three sons to recognize the festivities since birth.
Now, she and her family attend and participate in the many programs and markets around Washington. They actively introduce more people to the ideals by selling Kwanzaa kits including Kinaras (candle holders) made by Massalley’s husband and the Mishumaa Sabaa (seven candles).
Preparing the Crops for Future Harvests
One necessity of the Kwanzaa table setup is the corn (Muhindi), which represents the family’s children and the parent’s desire for them to lead fruitful lives. Massalley believes children need the Nguzo Saba and the cooperation and cultural acknowledgment it promotes.
“I think now, more than anything we need something like Kwanzaa collectively for our community because I think it’s a tool for us to really move forward as a unit and to have some kind of structure as we move forward,” she told the Informer. “
Newby shares this sentiment and believes instilling the celebration’s principles within Black youth from an early age benefits the entire diaspora.
Introducing children to such Pan-African ideas and the world beyond their backyard sparks a curiosity necessary for the global Black population’s progress.
“There’s a diaspora to explore and it is a diaspora to understand,” said Newby. “We all can’t be free as Black people without being free across the diaspora, and I think Kwanzaa is something that can spark that concept.”
