Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post provides information about the holiday song "O Kwanzaa" and showcases video examples of that song.
A sound file for the instrumental version of that song is also included in this post along with the song's lyrics and information about the meaning of the Swahili words in that song.
The Addendum to this post provides information about the Kwanzaa holiday and information about KiSwahili ("Swahili") language.
The content of this post is presented for cultural and educational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Teresa Jennings, the composers of this song and thanks to all those who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLES
Example #1: O Kwanzaa
jennsahy, Published on Dec 22, 2008
2008 Prairie Hill School Holiday Program - 2nd Grade, Song 3
****
Example #2: Singing o kwanza
poodinker, Published on Dec 14, 2012
Xmas concert
****
Example #3: Oh Kwanzaa ,,,
Jonathan Perrin, Published on Dec 16, 2014
My son Rylen and his third grade class performing kwanzaa in there Christmas concert. 2014
****
Example #4: O Kwanzaa [karoake - lyrics on screen]
Kutsal Gun, Published on Jun 11, 2016
This video is for educational purposes only and all music is copyrighted by Music K-8.
****
Example #5: O, Kwanzaa Accompaniment track
Mrs. Schurger CIA, Published on Oct 24, 2017
****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S COMMENT ABOUT THE INCORPORATION OF INFORMATION & SONGS ABOUT KWANZAA IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
My position is that the main purpose of incorporating a song or songs about Kwanzaa into elementary school's music and "social studies" curriculum is to help encourage and reinforce an awareness and appreciation of multiculturalism by presenting additional opportunities to learn about Black African cultures.
However, it's important to teach that Kwanzaa is an African American made holiday which isn't traditionally celebrated in African nations, although the idea for Kwanzaa comes from such African harvest festivals as the Homowo festival in Ghana.* (Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/11/ghanaian-harvest-festival-homowo.html for a pancocojams post about that festival.)
It's also important to recognize that only a few African Americans celebrate Kwanzaa and those who do often combine that celebration with their observances of Christmas and New Years. The fact that the colors for the African American flag (and therefore for Kwanzaa) are red, black, and green (and the pan-African colors are red, green, and gold) are very similar to the red and green Christmas decorations. Therefore, it's relatively easy to combine Christmas decorations with Kwanzaa decorations.
Click these links below for two other pancocojams post about Kwanzaa:
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/12/why-swahili-terms-are-used-for-african.html Why Swahili Terms Are Used For The African American Originated Holiday "Kwanzaa"
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/12/teddy-pendergrass-happy-kwanzaa-video.html Teddy Pendergrass - Happy Kwanzaa (video & lyrics)
Additional pancocojams posts about Kwanzaa can be found by clicking the Kwanzaa tag below.
Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-history-meaning-of-red-black-and.html for a related pancocojams post entitled The History And Meaning Of The Red, Black, And Green Flag
-snip-
*I'm basing my comments about the concept of Kwanzaa being patterned after African "first fruits" harvest festivals based on my memories as an early celebrant of Kwanzaa (in 1967-1969) when I was a member of the cultural nationalist organization The Committee For Unified Newark (CFUN), based in Newark, New Jersey.
CFUN, led by Imamu AMiri Baraka (formerly known as LeRoi Jones), was the first organization in the East Coast to celebrate and promote the African American holiday Kwanzaa. Ron Karenga's Oakland, California cultural nationalist organization named "Us" (which had some significant differences from CFUN) was the first organization in the United States to promote and celebrate Kwanzaa (in 1966).
****
INFORMATION ABOUT TERESA JENNINGS' SONG "O KWANZAA"
Judging from the number of videos of this song YouTube, and the comment from these discussion threads, Teresa Jennings' 2002 composition "O Kwanzaa" is the most widely sung Kwanzaa song (for children, and perhaps also for adults) in the United States.
As demonstrated in these videos, "O Kwanzaa" is sung in elementary schools by young children of all races/ethnicities during these school's Christmas (or winter holiday) programs.
Here's information about that song from https://www.musick8.com/html/mk8_fullimage.php?volumeid=V13_2Music K-8,
The Resource Magazine For Elementary And Middle School Music Teachers (Volume 13, Number 2, Plank Road Publishing, November 2002)
" O Kwanzaa by Teresa Jennings
To help you bring Kwanzaa to your students, consider using the song in this issue, "O Kwanzaa." It is a unique blend of hip hop, gospel, and African styles which students will enjoy. A pronunciation guide is included on the music for the Swahili words. The divisi of part 2 is optional (as is part 2 itself), but it adds distinctly to the flavor of the piece. Be sure students emphasize the crescendo/descresendo for the best results in all parts. Have them listen to the recording for reference. Also let them play along on their own Orff/percussion instruments using our suggested rhythms (see page 64) or creating their own. See if they can identify the African percussion used on the recording."
****
LYRICS: O KWANZAA
(Teresa Jennings)
O-oh-oh Kwanzaa
O-oh-oh Kwanzaa
O-oh-oh Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa!
O-oh-oh Kwanzaa
O-oh-oh Kwanzaa
O-oh-oh Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa!
O-oh oh
Seven days of celebration
Nguzo Saba
Seven days of celebration
Habari gani
Seven days of celebration
Nguzo Saba
Seven days of celebration
Habari gani
Harambee!
[repeat the entire song again]
-snip-
I wrote the words "o-oh-oh Kwanzaa" this way to emphasize that the second and third iteration of the word "oh" is elongated.
-snip-
Explanation of Swahili terms in this song: [Also, read the information about Swahili in the Addendum below]
Kwanzaa:
pronounced KWAN-zah
"Kwanza" (ending in one "a") is a KiSwahili (Swahili) word that means "first". Ron Karenga, the African American creator the "Kwanzaa" holiday added an "a" to the word "kwanza" and indicated that the holiday would be named "Kwanzaa Matunda" (mah-TOON_dah) meaning "First Fruits". He coined that name because he patterned the general concept for "Kwanzaa" after African harvest festivals. (Notice the symbols of corn that are traditionally laid on the Kwanzaa mat representing "crops".)
**
Habari gani:
{pronounced hah-BAH-ree GAH-nee)
Swahili translation: "How are you?"
**
Harambee:
[pronounced hah=RAH_bee], usually with the last syllable elongated]
From http://www.dictionary.com/browse/harambee
harambee
"Harambee
noun
1.
a work chant used on the E African coast
2.
a rallying cry used in Kenya
interjection
3.
a cry of harambee
Word Origin
Swahili: pull together"
-snip-
Among culturally afrocentric African Americans (meaning: African Americans who are interested in the the cultures of Africa and the African Diaspora and incorporate some of those cultural indices into their lives), "Harambee" is considered and used as an exclamation meaning "All pull together!" (Work together. Be unified.)
One imitative movement that I've used with children for the exclamation "Harambee!" is to act like you are pulling a rope toward you (like in the "tug of war" game).
**
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harambee
"Harambee is a Kenyan tradition of community self-help events, e.g. fundraising or development activities. Harambee literally means "all pull together" in Swahili, and is also the official motto of Kenya and appears on its coat of arms.
Harambee events may range from informal affairs lasting a few hours, in which invitations are spread by word of mouth, to formal, multi-day events advertised in newspapers. These events have long been important in parts of East Africa, as ways to build and maintain communities.
Following Kenya's independence in 1963, the first Prime Minister, and later first President of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta adopted "Harambee" as a concept of pulling the country together to build a new nation. He encouraged communities to work together to raise funds for all sorts of local projects, pledging that the government would provide their startup costs. Under this system, wealthy individuals wishing to get into politics could donate large amounts of money to local harambee drives, thereby gaining legitimacy; however, such practices were never institutionalised during Kenyatta's presidency.
A popular etymology deriving the term from the name of a Hind goddess, Amba Mata (a form of Durga riding a Tiger) has been proposed, supposedly via Hindu railway linesmen carrying loads of iron rails and sleeper blocks who would chant "har, har Ambe!" ("praise Amba") when working. The first president, Jomo Kenyatta has been said to have witnessed such a railway line team as it worked in cohesion and harmony and derived the term from there. This has led to criticism against the official use of the term on the part of Kenyan Christians. The actual etymology of the term is, however, cited as genuinely Bantu, from the Miji Kenda term halumbe"to pull or push together".[1] The objections have also been dismissed based on the that even if the supposed derivation were true, it has become irrelevant to the term's modern usage and meaning.[2]"
****
ADDENDUM - INFORMATION ABOUT THE AFRICAN AMERICAN ORIGINATED HOLIDAY "KWANZAA"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwanzaa
"Kwanzaa is a week-long celebration held in the United States and in other nations of the West African diaspora in the Americas. The celebration honors African heritage in African-American culture, and is observed from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a feast and gift-giving.[1] Kwanzaa has seven core principles (Nguzo Saba). It was created by Maulana Karenga and was first celebrated in 1966–67.
History and etymology
Maulana Karenga created Kwanzaa in 1966, as the first specifically African-American holiday,[2] (but see also Juneteenth). According to Karenga, the name Kwanzaa derives from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, meaning "first fruits of the harvest",[3] although a more conventional translation would simply be "first fruits". The choice of Swahili, an East African language, reflects its status as a symbol of Pan-Africanism, especially in the 1960s, although most of the Atlantic slave trade that brought African people to America originated in West Africa.[4]
Kwanzaa is a celebration that has its roots in the black nationalist movement of the 1960s and was established as a means to help African Americans reconnect with their African cultural and historical heritage by uniting in meditation and study of African traditions and Nguzo Saba, the "seven principles of African Heritage"…
Many African Americans who celebrate Kwanzaa do so in addition to observing Christmas.[8]
Principles and symbols
Kwanzaa celebrates what its founder called the seven principles of Kwanzaa, or Nguzo Saba (originally Nguzu Saba—the seven principles of African Heritage), which Karenga said "is a communitarian African philosophy," consisting of what Karenga called "the best of African thought and practice in constant exchange with the world." These seven principles comprise Kawaida, a Swahili word meaning "common". Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the following principles, as follows:[9]
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.
Kwanzaa celebratory symbols include a mat (Mkeka) on which other symbols are placed: a Kinara (candle holder), Mishumaa Saba (seven candles), mazao (crops), Muhindi (corn), a Kikombe cha Umoja (unity cup) for commemorating and giving shukrani (thanks) to African Ancestors, and Zawadi (gifts). Supplemental representations include a Nguzo Saba poster,[10] the black, red, and green bendera (flag), and African books and artworks – all to represent values and concepts reflective of African culture and contribution to community building and reinforcement.[11] Corn is the primary symbol for both decoration and celebratory dining.
Observance
... A Kwanzaa ceremony may include drumming and musical selections, libations, a reading of the African Pledge and the Principles of Blackness, reflection on the Pan-African colors, a discussion of the African principle of the day or a chapter in African history, a candle-lighting ritual, artistic performance, and, finally, a feast (karamu). The greeting for each day of Kwanzaa is Habari Gani?[16] which is Swahili for "How are you?"[17]
At first, observers of Kwanzaa avoided the mixing of the holiday or its symbols, values, and practice with other holidays, as doing so would violate the principle of kujichagulia (self-determination) and thus violate the integrity of the holiday, which is partially intended as a reclamation of important African values. Today, many African American families celebrate Kwanzaa along with Christmas and New Year's.[18] Frequently, both Christmas trees and kinaras, the traditional candle holder symbolic of African American roots, share space in Kwanzaa-celebrating households. For people who celebrate both holidays, Kwanzaa is an opportunity to incorporate elements of their particular ethnic heritage into holiday observances and celebrations of Christmas.
[...]
Popularity
In 2004, BIG Research conducted a marketing survey in the United States for the National Retail Foundation, which found that 1.6% of those surveyed planned to celebrate Kwanzaa. In a 2006 speech, Maulana Karenga asserted that 28 million people celebrate Kwanzaa. He has always claimed it is celebrated all over the world.[1] Lee D. Baker puts the number at 12 million.[22] The African American Cultural Center claimed 30 million in 2009.[23] In 2011, Keith Mayes said that 2 million people participated in Kwanzaa.[23]
According to University of Minnesota Professor Keith Mayes, the author of Kwanzaa: Black Power and the Making of the African-American Holiday Tradition, the popularity within the US has "leveled off" as the black power movement there has declined, and as of 2009 between 500 thousand and two million people celebrated Kwanzaa in the US, or between one and five percent of African Americans. Mayes added that white institutions now celebrate it.[12]
The holiday has also spread to Canada and is celebrated by Black Canadians in a similar fashion as in the United States.[24] According to the Language Portal of Canada, "this fairly new tradition has [also] gained in popularity in France, Great Britain, Jamaica and Brazil".[25]
In Brazil, in recent years the term Kwanzaa has been applied by a few institutions as a synonym for the festivities of the Black Awareness Day, commemorated on November 20 in honor of Zumbi dos Palmares,[26][27] having little to do with the celebration as it was originally conceived."...
-snip-
Italics added to highlight those sentences.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT SWAHILI (KISWAHILI) LANGUAGE
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swahili_language
"Swahili, also known as Kiswahili (translation: coast language[7]), is a Bantu language and the first language of the Swahili people. It is a lingua franca of the African Great Lakes region and other parts of eastern and south-eastern Africa, including Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)...
Estimates of the total number of Swahili speakers vary widely, from 50 million to over 100 million.[2] Swahili serves as a national language of four nations: Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and the DRC.[citation needed] Shikomor, the official language in Comoros and also spoken in Mayotte (Shimaore), is related to Swahili.[10] Swahili is also one of the working languages of the African Union and officially recognised as a lingua franca of the East African Community.[11]
A significant fraction of Swahili vocabulary is derived from Arabic through contact with Arabic-speaking Muslim inhabitants of the Swahili Coast.[12]"...
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comment are welcome.
This pancocojams post provides information about the holiday song "O Kwanzaa" and showcases video examples of that song.
A sound file for the instrumental version of that song is also included in this post along with the song's lyrics and information about the meaning of the Swahili words in that song.
The Addendum to this post provides information about the Kwanzaa holiday and information about KiSwahili ("Swahili") language.
The content of this post is presented for cultural and educational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Teresa Jennings, the composers of this song and thanks to all those who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLES
Example #1: O Kwanzaa
jennsahy, Published on Dec 22, 2008
2008 Prairie Hill School Holiday Program - 2nd Grade, Song 3
****
Example #2: Singing o kwanza
poodinker, Published on Dec 14, 2012
Xmas concert
****
Example #3: Oh Kwanzaa ,,,
Jonathan Perrin, Published on Dec 16, 2014
My son Rylen and his third grade class performing kwanzaa in there Christmas concert. 2014
****
Example #4: O Kwanzaa [karoake - lyrics on screen]
Kutsal Gun, Published on Jun 11, 2016
This video is for educational purposes only and all music is copyrighted by Music K-8.
****
Example #5: O, Kwanzaa Accompaniment track
Mrs. Schurger CIA, Published on Oct 24, 2017
****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S COMMENT ABOUT THE INCORPORATION OF INFORMATION & SONGS ABOUT KWANZAA IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
My position is that the main purpose of incorporating a song or songs about Kwanzaa into elementary school's music and "social studies" curriculum is to help encourage and reinforce an awareness and appreciation of multiculturalism by presenting additional opportunities to learn about Black African cultures.
However, it's important to teach that Kwanzaa is an African American made holiday which isn't traditionally celebrated in African nations, although the idea for Kwanzaa comes from such African harvest festivals as the Homowo festival in Ghana.* (Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/11/ghanaian-harvest-festival-homowo.html for a pancocojams post about that festival.)
It's also important to recognize that only a few African Americans celebrate Kwanzaa and those who do often combine that celebration with their observances of Christmas and New Years. The fact that the colors for the African American flag (and therefore for Kwanzaa) are red, black, and green (and the pan-African colors are red, green, and gold) are very similar to the red and green Christmas decorations. Therefore, it's relatively easy to combine Christmas decorations with Kwanzaa decorations.
Click these links below for two other pancocojams post about Kwanzaa:
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/12/why-swahili-terms-are-used-for-african.html Why Swahili Terms Are Used For The African American Originated Holiday "Kwanzaa"
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/12/teddy-pendergrass-happy-kwanzaa-video.html Teddy Pendergrass - Happy Kwanzaa (video & lyrics)
Additional pancocojams posts about Kwanzaa can be found by clicking the Kwanzaa tag below.
Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-history-meaning-of-red-black-and.html for a related pancocojams post entitled The History And Meaning Of The Red, Black, And Green Flag
-snip-
*I'm basing my comments about the concept of Kwanzaa being patterned after African "first fruits" harvest festivals based on my memories as an early celebrant of Kwanzaa (in 1967-1969) when I was a member of the cultural nationalist organization The Committee For Unified Newark (CFUN), based in Newark, New Jersey.
CFUN, led by Imamu AMiri Baraka (formerly known as LeRoi Jones), was the first organization in the East Coast to celebrate and promote the African American holiday Kwanzaa. Ron Karenga's Oakland, California cultural nationalist organization named "Us" (which had some significant differences from CFUN) was the first organization in the United States to promote and celebrate Kwanzaa (in 1966).
****
INFORMATION ABOUT TERESA JENNINGS' SONG "O KWANZAA"
Judging from the number of videos of this song YouTube, and the comment from these discussion threads, Teresa Jennings' 2002 composition "O Kwanzaa" is the most widely sung Kwanzaa song (for children, and perhaps also for adults) in the United States.
As demonstrated in these videos, "O Kwanzaa" is sung in elementary schools by young children of all races/ethnicities during these school's Christmas (or winter holiday) programs.
Here's information about that song from https://www.musick8.com/html/mk8_fullimage.php?volumeid=V13_2Music K-8,
The Resource Magazine For Elementary And Middle School Music Teachers (Volume 13, Number 2, Plank Road Publishing, November 2002)
" O Kwanzaa by Teresa Jennings
To help you bring Kwanzaa to your students, consider using the song in this issue, "O Kwanzaa." It is a unique blend of hip hop, gospel, and African styles which students will enjoy. A pronunciation guide is included on the music for the Swahili words. The divisi of part 2 is optional (as is part 2 itself), but it adds distinctly to the flavor of the piece. Be sure students emphasize the crescendo/descresendo for the best results in all parts. Have them listen to the recording for reference. Also let them play along on their own Orff/percussion instruments using our suggested rhythms (see page 64) or creating their own. See if they can identify the African percussion used on the recording."
****
LYRICS: O KWANZAA
(Teresa Jennings)
O-oh-oh Kwanzaa
O-oh-oh Kwanzaa
O-oh-oh Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa!
O-oh-oh Kwanzaa
O-oh-oh Kwanzaa
O-oh-oh Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa!
O-oh oh
Seven days of celebration
Nguzo Saba
Seven days of celebration
Habari gani
Seven days of celebration
Nguzo Saba
Seven days of celebration
Habari gani
Harambee!
[repeat the entire song again]
-snip-
I wrote the words "o-oh-oh Kwanzaa" this way to emphasize that the second and third iteration of the word "oh" is elongated.
-snip-
Explanation of Swahili terms in this song: [Also, read the information about Swahili in the Addendum below]
Kwanzaa:
pronounced KWAN-zah
"Kwanza" (ending in one "a") is a KiSwahili (Swahili) word that means "first". Ron Karenga, the African American creator the "Kwanzaa" holiday added an "a" to the word "kwanza" and indicated that the holiday would be named "Kwanzaa Matunda" (mah-TOON_dah) meaning "First Fruits". He coined that name because he patterned the general concept for "Kwanzaa" after African harvest festivals. (Notice the symbols of corn that are traditionally laid on the Kwanzaa mat representing "crops".)
**
Habari gani:
{pronounced hah-BAH-ree GAH-nee)
Swahili translation: "How are you?"
**
Harambee:
[pronounced hah=RAH_bee], usually with the last syllable elongated]
From http://www.dictionary.com/browse/harambee
harambee
"Harambee
noun
1.
a work chant used on the E African coast
2.
a rallying cry used in Kenya
interjection
3.
a cry of harambee
Word Origin
Swahili: pull together"
-snip-
Among culturally afrocentric African Americans (meaning: African Americans who are interested in the the cultures of Africa and the African Diaspora and incorporate some of those cultural indices into their lives), "Harambee" is considered and used as an exclamation meaning "All pull together!" (Work together. Be unified.)
One imitative movement that I've used with children for the exclamation "Harambee!" is to act like you are pulling a rope toward you (like in the "tug of war" game).
**
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harambee
"Harambee is a Kenyan tradition of community self-help events, e.g. fundraising or development activities. Harambee literally means "all pull together" in Swahili, and is also the official motto of Kenya and appears on its coat of arms.
Harambee events may range from informal affairs lasting a few hours, in which invitations are spread by word of mouth, to formal, multi-day events advertised in newspapers. These events have long been important in parts of East Africa, as ways to build and maintain communities.
Following Kenya's independence in 1963, the first Prime Minister, and later first President of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta adopted "Harambee" as a concept of pulling the country together to build a new nation. He encouraged communities to work together to raise funds for all sorts of local projects, pledging that the government would provide their startup costs. Under this system, wealthy individuals wishing to get into politics could donate large amounts of money to local harambee drives, thereby gaining legitimacy; however, such practices were never institutionalised during Kenyatta's presidency.
A popular etymology deriving the term from the name of a Hind goddess, Amba Mata (a form of Durga riding a Tiger) has been proposed, supposedly via Hindu railway linesmen carrying loads of iron rails and sleeper blocks who would chant "har, har Ambe!" ("praise Amba") when working. The first president, Jomo Kenyatta has been said to have witnessed such a railway line team as it worked in cohesion and harmony and derived the term from there. This has led to criticism against the official use of the term on the part of Kenyan Christians. The actual etymology of the term is, however, cited as genuinely Bantu, from the Miji Kenda term halumbe"to pull or push together".[1] The objections have also been dismissed based on the that even if the supposed derivation were true, it has become irrelevant to the term's modern usage and meaning.[2]"
****
ADDENDUM - INFORMATION ABOUT THE AFRICAN AMERICAN ORIGINATED HOLIDAY "KWANZAA"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwanzaa
"Kwanzaa is a week-long celebration held in the United States and in other nations of the West African diaspora in the Americas. The celebration honors African heritage in African-American culture, and is observed from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a feast and gift-giving.[1] Kwanzaa has seven core principles (Nguzo Saba). It was created by Maulana Karenga and was first celebrated in 1966–67.
History and etymology
Maulana Karenga created Kwanzaa in 1966, as the first specifically African-American holiday,[2] (but see also Juneteenth). According to Karenga, the name Kwanzaa derives from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, meaning "first fruits of the harvest",[3] although a more conventional translation would simply be "first fruits". The choice of Swahili, an East African language, reflects its status as a symbol of Pan-Africanism, especially in the 1960s, although most of the Atlantic slave trade that brought African people to America originated in West Africa.[4]
Kwanzaa is a celebration that has its roots in the black nationalist movement of the 1960s and was established as a means to help African Americans reconnect with their African cultural and historical heritage by uniting in meditation and study of African traditions and Nguzo Saba, the "seven principles of African Heritage"…
Many African Americans who celebrate Kwanzaa do so in addition to observing Christmas.[8]
Principles and symbols
Kwanzaa celebrates what its founder called the seven principles of Kwanzaa, or Nguzo Saba (originally Nguzu Saba—the seven principles of African Heritage), which Karenga said "is a communitarian African philosophy," consisting of what Karenga called "the best of African thought and practice in constant exchange with the world." These seven principles comprise Kawaida, a Swahili word meaning "common". Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the following principles, as follows:[9]
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.
Kwanzaa celebratory symbols include a mat (Mkeka) on which other symbols are placed: a Kinara (candle holder), Mishumaa Saba (seven candles), mazao (crops), Muhindi (corn), a Kikombe cha Umoja (unity cup) for commemorating and giving shukrani (thanks) to African Ancestors, and Zawadi (gifts). Supplemental representations include a Nguzo Saba poster,[10] the black, red, and green bendera (flag), and African books and artworks – all to represent values and concepts reflective of African culture and contribution to community building and reinforcement.[11] Corn is the primary symbol for both decoration and celebratory dining.
Observance
... A Kwanzaa ceremony may include drumming and musical selections, libations, a reading of the African Pledge and the Principles of Blackness, reflection on the Pan-African colors, a discussion of the African principle of the day or a chapter in African history, a candle-lighting ritual, artistic performance, and, finally, a feast (karamu). The greeting for each day of Kwanzaa is Habari Gani?[16] which is Swahili for "How are you?"[17]
At first, observers of Kwanzaa avoided the mixing of the holiday or its symbols, values, and practice with other holidays, as doing so would violate the principle of kujichagulia (self-determination) and thus violate the integrity of the holiday, which is partially intended as a reclamation of important African values. Today, many African American families celebrate Kwanzaa along with Christmas and New Year's.[18] Frequently, both Christmas trees and kinaras, the traditional candle holder symbolic of African American roots, share space in Kwanzaa-celebrating households. For people who celebrate both holidays, Kwanzaa is an opportunity to incorporate elements of their particular ethnic heritage into holiday observances and celebrations of Christmas.
[...]
Popularity
In 2004, BIG Research conducted a marketing survey in the United States for the National Retail Foundation, which found that 1.6% of those surveyed planned to celebrate Kwanzaa. In a 2006 speech, Maulana Karenga asserted that 28 million people celebrate Kwanzaa. He has always claimed it is celebrated all over the world.[1] Lee D. Baker puts the number at 12 million.[22] The African American Cultural Center claimed 30 million in 2009.[23] In 2011, Keith Mayes said that 2 million people participated in Kwanzaa.[23]
According to University of Minnesota Professor Keith Mayes, the author of Kwanzaa: Black Power and the Making of the African-American Holiday Tradition, the popularity within the US has "leveled off" as the black power movement there has declined, and as of 2009 between 500 thousand and two million people celebrated Kwanzaa in the US, or between one and five percent of African Americans. Mayes added that white institutions now celebrate it.[12]
The holiday has also spread to Canada and is celebrated by Black Canadians in a similar fashion as in the United States.[24] According to the Language Portal of Canada, "this fairly new tradition has [also] gained in popularity in France, Great Britain, Jamaica and Brazil".[25]
In Brazil, in recent years the term Kwanzaa has been applied by a few institutions as a synonym for the festivities of the Black Awareness Day, commemorated on November 20 in honor of Zumbi dos Palmares,[26][27] having little to do with the celebration as it was originally conceived."...
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INFORMATION ABOUT SWAHILI (KISWAHILI) LANGUAGE
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swahili_language
"Swahili, also known as Kiswahili (translation: coast language[7]), is a Bantu language and the first language of the Swahili people. It is a lingua franca of the African Great Lakes region and other parts of eastern and south-eastern Africa, including Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)...
Estimates of the total number of Swahili speakers vary widely, from 50 million to over 100 million.[2] Swahili serves as a national language of four nations: Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and the DRC.[citation needed] Shikomor, the official language in Comoros and also spoken in Mayotte (Shimaore), is related to Swahili.[10] Swahili is also one of the working languages of the African Union and officially recognised as a lingua franca of the East African Community.[11]
A significant fraction of Swahili vocabulary is derived from Arabic through contact with Arabic-speaking Muslim inhabitants of the Swahili Coast.[12]"...
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