April Armstrong, an award winning storyteller and singer, joined patrons of the Lakeview Public Library on Dec. 11 to begin celebrating Kwanzaa.
She performed her show “Harambee! Stories for Kwanzaa,” during which she shared stories and performed songs that celebrate the seven principles of Kwanzaa.
“Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday,” Armstrong said. “Kwanzaa is a holiday about family, community, culture, values, and history.”
Kwanzaa is an annual celebration highlighting African-American culture. Every year Kwanzaa begins on Dec. 26, the day after Christmas, and ends on Jan. 1.
“Activist Maulana Karenga was the first person to create Kwanzaa,” Armstrong said. “It was meant for African-Americans to have a connection with the motherland (Africa), to find some time during the year that they can look back and recognize this is where our ancestors came from, that we want to know what we came from and we want to have a connection with it.”
Created in 1966, Kwanzaa is based on various African cultures and harvest festival traditions. Celebrations often include songs, dances, drums, and storytelling. On each of the seven nights, families will gather to light a candle on the Kinara and discuss one of the seven principles of the holiday.
The seven principles are values of African culture that contribute to building community among African-Americans. The principles include: Umoja, Kujichagulia, Ujima, Ujamaa, Nia, Kuumba and Imani.
There are several other symbols included in the holiday to pay homage to different African nations and ethnic groups. These include the mkeka place mat made of straw or cloth, corn and other crops representing the harvest and the family, and the mishumaa saba, seven candles that are black, green, and red, which provide light and reflect the holidays principles.
