|Kwanzaa is above all a cultural practice not a commercial one.
There are countless examples of African people, throughout the
world, creating ideas aimed at the upliftment of African
people and when the people catch on to the idea, someone outside our community
(European and Asians) taps into the idea for their own commercial benefit.
At this moment in history, we find this occurring with the African
holiday celebrate called Kwanzaa. This African in America
celebration was initiated by the US Organization and Dr. Maulana
Karenga in Los
In this context, “Kwanzaa was created to introduce and reinforce
seven basic values of African culture which contribute to building and
reinforcing community among African people in America as well as Africans
throughout the world African community.”
It is further explained that “The values are called the Nguzo Saba which in the Pan African language of Swahili
means the Seven Principles. These principles stand at the heart of the origin
and meaning of Kwanzaa, for it is these values which are not only the building
blocks for community but serve also as its social glue.”
These Seven Principles, the Nguzo Saba,
are Umoja / Unity, Kujichagulia
/ Self Determination, Ujima / Collective Work and
Responsibility, Ujamaa / Cooperative Economics, Nia / Purpose, Kuumba /
Creativity, and Imani / Faith.
It was the Pan African / Nationalist Movement in America that embraced the idea of Kwanzaa in the
late 1960s and began to organize Kwanzaa activities at the community level
throughout the United States.
The seven days of Kwanzaa are celebrated from December 26th through January
The Pan African / Nationalist Movement met great opposition from
the so-called established leadership and a segment of the African masses who
felt that Kwanzaa was an attempt to establish a new religion, that it was
opposed to Christianity and Christ, and that its aim was to replace Christmas.
All of these were false notions regarding the true meaning of Kwanzaa and the
Pan African / Nationalist Movement spent enormous energy and effort, over the
years, to explain the true meaning of Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa is not a religion, but
it has a spiritual foundation. African people from all religious persuasions
participate in Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa was not created to replace Christmas and many
African people who acknowledge and celebrate Christmas also acknowledge and
participate in Kwanzaa.
Because of the great educational campaigns of
the Pan African / Nationalist Movement, these early misconceptions of Kwanzaa
have now been thoroughly dismantled.
The concept of Kwanzaa as we have
historically understood it, and helped develop it, over the last forty-six
years, is a cultural project that strikes at the roots of Black Power. That is
the ability of a people to define themselves in the context of their own
experiences. The idea of defining ourselves in our own image and interests is
at the heart of the Black / Pan African / Nationalist Movement out of which
Kwanzaa was never aimed at integration, but
rather the national interests of African people in America as a self determining body
Kwanzaa has become an aspect of our national
identity as more than twenty million African people in America
participate in some aspect of Kwanzaa.
Because of this tremendous market that has
been created by the Pan African / Nationalist led Kwanzaa Movement, it is our
challenge to defeat those forces who are attempting to dilute and disrupt the
real significance of Kwanzaa. Some may say this should be anticipated in a
capitalistic world. But that does not mean we don’t struggle against turning
Kwanzaa into a capitalistic venture controlled by the forces of the white
corporate world and their African in America allies.
One of the biggest mistakes the Pan African /
Nationalist Movement made, as we reflect on this growing tendency to
commercialize Kwanzaa, is that we did not create a legal structure through incorporation,
copyright law, and patents to protect Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa has become a free for
all, that many people use to do whatever they want with Kwanzaa and in many
instances it has nothing to do with the real meaning of Kwanzaa.
The seven days of Kwanzaa are celebrated from December 26th through January 1st.
It is important to note that in Dr. Karenga’s book, The African American Holiday of Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community & Culture, published in 1997 by the University of Sankore Press, he explains
his position on the commercialization of Kwanzaa. He states that, “The challenges, for the African in
America community as well as African communities everywhere is to resist the
corporate commercialization of Kwanzaa; to affirm and hold to the essential
meaning of Kwanzaa and refuse to cooperate with the corporate drive to dominate
and redefine it and make it simply another holiday to maximize sales.”
Karenga says that “Kwanzaa is above all a
cultural practice not a commercial one and external and internal attempts to
redefine Kwanzaa in commercial terms are not defining Kwanzaa, but rather their
commercial interest in it.”
We must control what we create - that is, we must control all
aspects of our culture. Our songs, dances, writings, and art must be protected
from hostile and thieving aliens (internal and external).
No longer should other races define who we are and what we should
be just because they have the wealth to exploit what we create. We must
preserve the Sacredness and Integrity of Kwanzaa.
BlackCommentator.com Columnist, Conrad W. Worrill, PhD, is the National Chairman Emeritus of the National
Black United Front (NBUF). Click here to contact Dr. Worrill.