What The Hell Is Kwanzaa? The Importance Of Reinventing Black Identity
What is Kwanzaa? When is Kwanzaa? Why is it celebrated? How do you celebrate it? Why should you celebrate Kwanzaa, and, most importantly, why should you create even more Black traditions and holidays? All of these topics will be discussed in this piece. The purpose is to educate Black folks about Kwanzaa and illustrate how discontinuing the participation in traditional American holidays and creating original Black traditions would benefit Blacks as a whole.
WHAT IS KWANZAA
Kwanzaa is a week-long (Dec 26-Jan 1) African American/Pan-African celebration of family, life, culture and community. Kwanzaa was created in the 60’s by Maulana Karenga. The first Kwanzaa was celebrated in 1966 at the height of the Black Nationalism, Black Power, and Black Freedom movements. It is said that Kwanzaa was initially created to give Black people something to celebrate as an alternative to Christmas. However, seeing the inevitable divide that was caused with the unrelenting celebrating of Christmas, Kwanzaa was opened and Black folk often celebrate both Kwanzaa and Christmas.
Kwanzaa is most recognized and characterized by its seven principles, or Nguzu Saba:
Umoja (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define and name ourselves, as well as to create and speak for ourselves.
Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems and to solve them together.
Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
Kuumba (Creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
Imani (Faith): To believe with all our hearts in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.
Traditionally, each of the Nguzu Saba has a day dedicated to it. This can look like a gathering one day, a celebration one day, gift exchanges, storytelling and so on and so forth. Kwanzaa also has symbols that are used to celebrate. These symbols include a Mkeka (mat) on which other symbols are placed, mazao (crops), Muhindi (corn), a Kikombe cha Umoja (unity cup) for commemorating and giving shukrani (thanks) to African Ancestors, Zawadi (gifts), and, most notably a Kinara (candle holder) and Mishumaa Saba (seven candles). The candles are the Pan-African colors Red, Black and Green (3 red, 1 black, 3 green). The Black candle is lit on Umoja day and the rest are lit from left to right on the following days of celebration.
The last day of the celebration is called the Day of Meditation or the Day of Assessment. This should be a day of serious self reflection and soul searching. With the focus on community and the African Diaspora, on the Day of Meditation it is customary to ask three questions: Who am I? Am I really who I say I am? Am I all I ought to be?
The Nia (purpose) of Kwanzaa is not to merely give Black folks something to celebrate. Rather, it is to get in touch with the rich culture of African in the Diaspora and Africans in America. Kwanzaa, while birthed in America, has spread to Canada, France, Jamaica, Brazil, and even Great Britain. More research would have to be done to see just how Kwanzaa is represented in those respective countries.
Kwanzaa, in 2016, celebrated its 50th anniversary. There is much more that could be mentioned about the traditions, the language used, the colors represented, and even about the creator of Kwanzaa. The reader is encouraged to do a more in depth research before and/or while they celebrate their first Kwanzaa. Now that there is a basic knowledge of Kwanzaa, focusing attention on why ceasing to ingratiate in traditional American traditions and holidays is imperative.
CULTURALLY, WHY YOU NEED TO STOP
What is Black culture? Where does culture come from? Who exactly are the gatekeepers of the culture? The “popular”culture would have Black people believe that Black culture is getting turnt up and participating in hyper-promiscuity. Pepper in some expensive clothing and cars and you will have a perfect recipe of what popular culture is selling to Black children and young adults; who are the next generation of Blacks in America.
There is also the Black culture that suggest that Black “excellence” is a measure of how well Blacks capitulate to white culture and systems. To be fair to the Black excellence mindset, there is an assumption that whiteness is the standard so reaching that standard is praised. However, if one reaches that standard and merely meld oneself into that same system of white supremacy, then Black excellence just becomes tokenism and not revolutionary or beneficial to one’s own race. In light of this knowledge, however; with absolutely no clear benefits, Black folks are duped into celebrating western culture holidays and funding the institutions that oppress them without asking for any accountability or power in return. Sadly, just being allowed to be there is enough in most cases.
Kwanzaa, while in no way is meant to solve all problems faced in the Black community, is at least a step in the right direction. Although today even white people celebrate Kwanzaa, it can be a springboard to the creation of other holidays specifically for Black America and the rest of the African Diaspora. Juneteenth and RBG day are examples of days that has been created by Black folk. But this isn't enough.
What is needed is a unified resistance against all things that does not work in the favor of Black people; from public policy to private institutions. Black folks in America have been well trained into taking on a foreign identity while still not being accepted by the very foreigners who they attempt to mimic. Continuing in traditions given to Black folks by their oppressor is furthering the enslavement of their minds, spirits and resources.
FINANCIALLY, WHY YOU NEED TO STOP
Black people in America have been tricked into believing that they are a part of the fabric of America. Well, to be completely fair; they are. Not in the way one may think, though. When it comes to wealth, political “power” and landownership, Black people almost have no place in America. The trick is to flaunt the Barak Obama’s and the prominent celebrity Black folks to give the very effective illusion of inclusion. However, it is indeed an illusion. Whether talking about the prison industrial complex or consumerism; Black folks continue to be the burden bearers of the American people. Still, with almost no effort from the well-oiled machine that is white supremacy, Black folk come out in droves to support the same system that was created to own them.
A 2014 survey and analytic study from Holiday Sales Forecasts showed that:
Black people were 14.2% of country
Black people were responsible for 43% INCREASES in holiday spending
Black people were responsible for 17% of holiday spending.... More than any other group
Black people spent 20% more online compared to 2013.
Be mindful that the above stats are from 3-4 years ago and spending is likely to be even more out of control in the Black community. The focus here is on the fact that when spending in considered; where are Black people spending money? What businesses are benefiting from Black people’s spending? Even more important is, how does this wasteful spending improve the condition of Black people in this country or around the world? Why would a people continue to line the pockets of their adversary? The spending of money is not the whole issue by itself. Rather, it’s the spending money and not getting anything in return. Even worse, Black people aren’t demanding anything in return. It is bad enough that the system is structured so that in most cases, particularly depending on geography, there are few choices in terms of where you can purchase items and necessities so Black dollars are thrown back into the machine of white supremacy. To do so fervently in the span of 2.5 months and call it “holiday spending” is cultural suicide.
Now, as some read this, they will surely make the statement, “Black people aren’t the only people spending.” This is typical of non-Black folks and, sadly, of all too many Blacks still sleep and comfortable in their colonized minds. The fact still remains that the Black person in America cannot merely do what every other race does because their experience and place in this country is not like that of any other people. Here are some more numbers for the people who contend that there is nothing wrong with a little “Black” Black Friday shopping for the holidays:
Pew Research found that 96.1% of the top 1% households are white
A report from the Institute for Policy Studies found that America's 100 richest people control more wealth than entire Black population
Another report from the Institute for Policy Studies found that Average black family would need 228 years to build wealth of white family
USA economic research services found that the 5 largest white landowners own more than all Black people combined
While these are gaudy numbers that should frighten and infuriate every Black person in America, the sad reality is that so many will hear these numbers and a) not care, or b) blame motivation and/or self determination for the condition of Black folks in America. The reader is encouraged to think critically about the spending habits of Black America. Notice how Black folks tend to spend the most money yet have the least power.
CONCLUSION AND SOLUTION
So what is the African in America to do? Are they to boycott every traditional holiday or celebration? Are they to neglect their families and change the lifestyle of their households? Well, absolutely and indeed. The Black man or woman in America today should consistently be asking themselves, “how does this benefit the conditions of my people?”
Is this a selfish? Better yet, is this racist? Not even close. The divide in America amongst Black people continues to grow while other races continue to capitalize on their cultural idiosyncrasies, finding niches in America and building wealth for their people. How many more decades will the Black's of America feed into the narrative of a multicultural utopia while all the evidence point to the fact that Blackness is constantly under attack.
The charge for Black people is to take responsibility for their culture. Hold accountable those who encourage Black's to proceed with the political and social status quo. Create your own traditions, days of worship and commemoration. Rock the foundation of America because the African in America IS the foundation of America.
One cannot understand their power until one expresses it. Imagine if even a quarter of Black America that currently participates in the spending and celebration from Thanksgiving to New Year's day decided to shut down? It would literally destroy markets. Black people spending frivolously is depended on in this country.
Black folks can march and protest a million times over. Until they pull out of the traditional way of doing things, however, respect will never be given. The question then that must be asked is, do Black folks even care?
