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Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture
Discusses the origins, values, and celebrations of Kwanzaa, and offers historical and cultural background information
- GenresNonfiction
143 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1996
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December 6, 2023
KARENGA’S FINAL BOOK ABOUT KWANZAA
Maulana Karenga is Chair of the department of Africana Studies at California State University, Long Beach. He wrote in the Preface to the Commemorative Edition of this 1998 book, “Kwanzaa brings a cultural message which is both particularly African and definitively human… it speaks to the best of what it means to be both African and human in its stress on the dignity of the human person, the well-being of family and community, the integrity of the environment and our kinship with it… Given the continuing rapid growth of Kwanzaa … it is imperative that an authoritative source be made available which both frames and informs the discussion. It was my publishers’ and my understanding that the text should be both accessible and aesthetic, engaging and informative in the most useful of ways and that the governing interest of the text would be to reaffirm the integrity, beauty and expansive meaning of the holiday. To this end, we have added text and over forty color photos showing activities … as well as five black and white photos of the first Kwanzaa celebration. We have also provided three different Kwanzaa and Nguzo Saba posters which were developed in the course of Kwanzaa celebrations.”
He states in the Preface to the First Edition, “This year marks the 30th anniversary of Kwanzaa as a recreated holiday based on African first-fruits celebrations… interest in Kwanzaa has steadily grown and so has the number of its celebrants. This phenomenal growth, which includes over 20 million celebrants throughout the world African community… new and enduring questions arise about its origins, values, symbols and fundamental activities. This volume is offered to answer these questions and to present Kwanzaa in the most authentic, effective and useful way…”
He explains in the first chapter, “Kwanzaa … is organized around five fundamental activities… *Ingathering of the People: … Kwanzaa promotes rituals of communion, of sharing and renewal of peoplehood bonds which strengthen mutual concern and commitment… *Special Reverence for the Creator and Creation: … It is a time of thanksgiving for the good in life… At the same time it is a time for recommitment to protect and preserve the earth and relate rightfully to the environment. *Commemoration of the Past: … It is a time of honoring the moral obligation to remember and praise those on whose shoulders we stand… *Recommitment to Our Highest Ideals: …It is a time of focusing on ... and practice of our highest cultural vision and values which in essence are ethical values… truth, justice, sisterhood, brotherhood and respect for the transcendent… *Celebration of the Good: Finally, Kwanzaa is a time for celebration of… the good of life, community, culture, friendship, and bountifulness of the earth, the wonder of the universe, the elders, the young… our history, our struggle for liberation and ever higher levels of human life.” (Pg. 4-6)
He notes, “The greetings during Kwanzaa are in Swahili… The greetings are to reinforce awareness of and commitment to the Seven Principles. The greeting is: ‘Habari gani?’ and the answer is each of the principles for each of the days of Kwanzaa, i.e., 'Umoja’ on the first day, ‘Kujichagulia’ on the second day and so on. Celebrants also greet by saying, ‘Heri za Kwanzaa’ or ‘Happy Kwanzaa.’” (Pg. 9)
He states, “Kwanzaa is a synthesis of both Continental African and Diasporan African cultural elements. This means that it is rooted in both the cultural values and practice of Africans on the Continent and in the U.S. with strict attention to cultural authenticity and values for a meaningful, principled and productive life… the Continental African components of Kwanzaa are a synthesis of various cultural values and practices from different Continental African peoples… in a true spirit of Pan-Africanism.” (Pg. 15)
He clarifies, “Kwanzaa’s extra ‘a’ evolved … in order to accommodate the wishes and inspire the creativity of our children. At the very beginning… seven children in the organization wanted to put on a program in which each of them represented and explained a letter of Kwanzaa. Since ‘kwanza’ (‘first’) has only six letters, we added an extra ‘a’ to make it seven, thus creating ‘Kwanzaa.’ It did not essentially change the pronunciation and most important, it demonstrated our principle of priority of the person in the context of community.” (Pg. 17)
He notes, “A … common aspect of African first-fruits celebrations … is commemoration of the past, especially of the ancestors. Often this profound respect for the ancestors is called ‘ancestor worship.’ But this is a misnomer, for Africans worship only God, the Creator, in his/her many manifestations.” (Pg. 24)
“Kwanzaa is above all a cultural choice as distinct from a religious one. This point is important because when the question arises … between choosing Kwanzaa or/and Christmas, this distinction is not always made. This failure to make this distinction … appears to suggest that one must give up one’s religion to practice one’s culture… On one hand, Christmas is a religious holiday for Christians, but it is also a cultural holiday for Europeans. Thus, one can accept and revere the religious message and meaning but reject its European cultural accretions of Santa Claus, reindeer, mistletoe, frantic shopping, alienated gift-giving, etc. This point can be made by citing of the two most frequent reasons Christian celebrants of Kwanzaa have for turning to Kwanzaa. The first reason is that it provides them with cultural grounding and reaffirmation for African Americans. The other reason is that it gives them a spiritual alternative to the commercialization of Christmas… Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday, but a cultural one with an inherent spiritual quality as with all major African celebrations. Thus, Africans of all faiths can and do celebrate Kwanzaa… what Kwanzaa offers is not an alternative to their religion or faith but a common ground of African culture which they all share and cherish. It is this common ground of culture on which they all meet, find ancient and enduring meaning, and by which they are thus reaffirmed and reinforced.” (Pg. 32-33)
He states, “Kwanzaa … places emphasis on children because they are in fact the hope and future of African people in both the biological and cultural sense… African communal society places great emphasis on reinforcing the bonds between parents and children.” (Pg. 77)
He notes, “it was agreed … we would not buy presents until after Christmas and also observe some basic rules… that 1) children are to be the main recipients of Kwanzaa gifts; 2) that the gifts are to be given on the basis of commitments made and kept; 3) that they not be mandatory or excessive. To purchase gifts after Christmas is to take advantage of after-Christmas sales and thus escape the exorbitant prices established for the season.” (Pg. 86)
He suggests, “It is good to begin checking the first week in December to see what symbols and other items you have and don’t have for Kwanzaa… If you do not have a particular symbol or other item, you then will have ample time to make it or find it or buy it. Some items are better made than bought, however. In this regard, the kinara [candle holder] easily comes to mind… some persons tend to want to avoid any inconvenience of finding African shops and will lean toward buying… a Jewish menorah as a substitute for the kinara. This causes… problems. First, it invites unnecessary and strained comparisons between the kinara and the menorah. Second, it represents a culturally and aesthetically incompatible insertion in the context of an African motif…” (Pg. 106)
He points out, “Kwanzaa is clearly an African holiday created for African peoples. But other people can and do celebrate it, just like other people participate in Cinco de Mayo besides Mexicans; Chinese New Year besides Chinese… The question is, under what circumstances? There are both communal and public celebrations. One can properly hold a communal celebration dedicated essentially to community persons. But in a public context, say public school or college, we can properly have public celebrations which include others. But in any case, particular people should always be in control of and conduct their own celebrations.” (Pg. 116)
He recounts, “Kwanzaa was created out of the philosophy of Kawaida, which is a cultural nationalist philosophy that argues that the key challenge in Black people’s life is the challenge of culture, and that what Africans must do is to discover and bring forth the best of their culture, both ancient and current, and use it as a foundation to bring into being models of human excellence and possibilities to enrich and expand our lives.” (Pg. 117)
This book will be “must reading” for anyone seriously studying Kwanzaa.
Maulana Karenga is Chair of the department of Africana Studies at California State University, Long Beach. He wrote in the Preface to the Commemorative Edition of this 1998 book, “Kwanzaa brings a cultural message which is both particularly African and definitively human… it speaks to the best of what it means to be both African and human in its stress on the dignity of the human person, the well-being of family and community, the integrity of the environment and our kinship with it… Given the continuing rapid growth of Kwanzaa … it is imperative that an authoritative source be made available which both frames and informs the discussion. It was my publishers’ and my understanding that the text should be both accessible and aesthetic, engaging and informative in the most useful of ways and that the governing interest of the text would be to reaffirm the integrity, beauty and expansive meaning of the holiday. To this end, we have added text and over forty color photos showing activities … as well as five black and white photos of the first Kwanzaa celebration. We have also provided three different Kwanzaa and Nguzo Saba posters which were developed in the course of Kwanzaa celebrations.”
He states in the Preface to the First Edition, “This year marks the 30th anniversary of Kwanzaa as a recreated holiday based on African first-fruits celebrations… interest in Kwanzaa has steadily grown and so has the number of its celebrants. This phenomenal growth, which includes over 20 million celebrants throughout the world African community… new and enduring questions arise about its origins, values, symbols and fundamental activities. This volume is offered to answer these questions and to present Kwanzaa in the most authentic, effective and useful way…”
He explains in the first chapter, “Kwanzaa … is organized around five fundamental activities… *Ingathering of the People: … Kwanzaa promotes rituals of communion, of sharing and renewal of peoplehood bonds which strengthen mutual concern and commitment… *Special Reverence for the Creator and Creation: … It is a time of thanksgiving for the good in life… At the same time it is a time for recommitment to protect and preserve the earth and relate rightfully to the environment. *Commemoration of the Past: … It is a time of honoring the moral obligation to remember and praise those on whose shoulders we stand… *Recommitment to Our Highest Ideals: …It is a time of focusing on ... and practice of our highest cultural vision and values which in essence are ethical values… truth, justice, sisterhood, brotherhood and respect for the transcendent… *Celebration of the Good: Finally, Kwanzaa is a time for celebration of… the good of life, community, culture, friendship, and bountifulness of the earth, the wonder of the universe, the elders, the young… our history, our struggle for liberation and ever higher levels of human life.” (Pg. 4-6)
He notes, “The greetings during Kwanzaa are in Swahili… The greetings are to reinforce awareness of and commitment to the Seven Principles. The greeting is: ‘Habari gani?’ and the answer is each of the principles for each of the days of Kwanzaa, i.e., 'Umoja’ on the first day, ‘Kujichagulia’ on the second day and so on. Celebrants also greet by saying, ‘Heri za Kwanzaa’ or ‘Happy Kwanzaa.’” (Pg. 9)
He states, “Kwanzaa is a synthesis of both Continental African and Diasporan African cultural elements. This means that it is rooted in both the cultural values and practice of Africans on the Continent and in the U.S. with strict attention to cultural authenticity and values for a meaningful, principled and productive life… the Continental African components of Kwanzaa are a synthesis of various cultural values and practices from different Continental African peoples… in a true spirit of Pan-Africanism.” (Pg. 15)
He clarifies, “Kwanzaa’s extra ‘a’ evolved … in order to accommodate the wishes and inspire the creativity of our children. At the very beginning… seven children in the organization wanted to put on a program in which each of them represented and explained a letter of Kwanzaa. Since ‘kwanza’ (‘first’) has only six letters, we added an extra ‘a’ to make it seven, thus creating ‘Kwanzaa.’ It did not essentially change the pronunciation and most important, it demonstrated our principle of priority of the person in the context of community.” (Pg. 17)
He notes, “A … common aspect of African first-fruits celebrations … is commemoration of the past, especially of the ancestors. Often this profound respect for the ancestors is called ‘ancestor worship.’ But this is a misnomer, for Africans worship only God, the Creator, in his/her many manifestations.” (Pg. 24)
“Kwanzaa is above all a cultural choice as distinct from a religious one. This point is important because when the question arises … between choosing Kwanzaa or/and Christmas, this distinction is not always made. This failure to make this distinction … appears to suggest that one must give up one’s religion to practice one’s culture… On one hand, Christmas is a religious holiday for Christians, but it is also a cultural holiday for Europeans. Thus, one can accept and revere the religious message and meaning but reject its European cultural accretions of Santa Claus, reindeer, mistletoe, frantic shopping, alienated gift-giving, etc. This point can be made by citing of the two most frequent reasons Christian celebrants of Kwanzaa have for turning to Kwanzaa. The first reason is that it provides them with cultural grounding and reaffirmation for African Americans. The other reason is that it gives them a spiritual alternative to the commercialization of Christmas… Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday, but a cultural one with an inherent spiritual quality as with all major African celebrations. Thus, Africans of all faiths can and do celebrate Kwanzaa… what Kwanzaa offers is not an alternative to their religion or faith but a common ground of African culture which they all share and cherish. It is this common ground of culture on which they all meet, find ancient and enduring meaning, and by which they are thus reaffirmed and reinforced.” (Pg. 32-33)
He states, “Kwanzaa … places emphasis on children because they are in fact the hope and future of African people in both the biological and cultural sense… African communal society places great emphasis on reinforcing the bonds between parents and children.” (Pg. 77)
He notes, “it was agreed … we would not buy presents until after Christmas and also observe some basic rules… that 1) children are to be the main recipients of Kwanzaa gifts; 2) that the gifts are to be given on the basis of commitments made and kept; 3) that they not be mandatory or excessive. To purchase gifts after Christmas is to take advantage of after-Christmas sales and thus escape the exorbitant prices established for the season.” (Pg. 86)
He suggests, “It is good to begin checking the first week in December to see what symbols and other items you have and don’t have for Kwanzaa… If you do not have a particular symbol or other item, you then will have ample time to make it or find it or buy it. Some items are better made than bought, however. In this regard, the kinara [candle holder] easily comes to mind… some persons tend to want to avoid any inconvenience of finding African shops and will lean toward buying… a Jewish menorah as a substitute for the kinara. This causes… problems. First, it invites unnecessary and strained comparisons between the kinara and the menorah. Second, it represents a culturally and aesthetically incompatible insertion in the context of an African motif…” (Pg. 106)
He points out, “Kwanzaa is clearly an African holiday created for African peoples. But other people can and do celebrate it, just like other people participate in Cinco de Mayo besides Mexicans; Chinese New Year besides Chinese… The question is, under what circumstances? There are both communal and public celebrations. One can properly hold a communal celebration dedicated essentially to community persons. But in a public context, say public school or college, we can properly have public celebrations which include others. But in any case, particular people should always be in control of and conduct their own celebrations.” (Pg. 116)
He recounts, “Kwanzaa was created out of the philosophy of Kawaida, which is a cultural nationalist philosophy that argues that the key challenge in Black people’s life is the challenge of culture, and that what Africans must do is to discover and bring forth the best of their culture, both ancient and current, and use it as a foundation to bring into being models of human excellence and possibilities to enrich and expand our lives.” (Pg. 117)
This book will be “must reading” for anyone seriously studying Kwanzaa.
January 1, 2020
Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture by Maulana Karenga was essential for me to get a solid foundation on the holiday beyond what I experienced in Afrocentric shops and at Kwanzaa events. It dived into the "Why" behind the holiday and addressed its aspirations centered around 7 principles (Umoja, Kujichagulia, Ujima, Nia, Kuumba & Imani), the conception coming from African American ideals of the 1960s, many African countries and culture practices along with addressing common misinterpretations. Karenga writes, "Kwanzaa was not created to give people an alternative to their own religion or religious holiday. And it is not an alternative to people's religion or faith but a common ground of African culture." Still, it addressed how to grow and celebrate the African American holiday along with maintaining high standards for it. However, the renewed appreciation for Kwanzaa does not exclude nor excuse the crimes its founder (and the author of this book) Maulana Karenga was later found guilty of. Thus, I am unable to recommend it and instead leave the choice to purchase it up to any interested reader. However, I am of the belief the holiday can and should be celebrated despite the worst of Karenga damaging a great thing.
December 30, 2020
Best guide to history, meaning & celebration of Kwanzaa by the founder, Dr. Maulana Karenga. Implores & instructs us to make the Nguzo Saba, 7 Principles of Kwanzaa the basis of our daily living, as well as during the annual celebratory week of December 26 - January 1.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews