Celebrating Kwanzaa is to Celebrate the Yield of All-Year-Round Cultivation and Ascension

The Kwanzaa celebration has its roots in the Afrikan celebrations of agricultural harvesting. Afrikans throughout the ages have utilised their natural genius flow in agricultural science and through self-determined effort yielded produce to sustain their families, communities and nation. Naturally, when all-year-round effort produces the well-deserved and bountiful harvest a period of celebration is brought to the fore in triumphant joy. Kwanzaa is an observance period that Afrikan souls can use to celebrate their all-year-round effort to cultivate themselves and their imperative mission of ascension. Wherever located, whatever role, societal status, level of wealth an Afrikan may hold the necessary cultivation of self still applies throughout its various levels – the Afrikan person self, harmonious and complementary Afrikan male-female union, Afrikan  family, Afrikan community, Afrikan nation and Afrikan world community. Here, the foundation principle of the Nguzo Saba (Seven Principles)  of Umoja (Unity) provides life with a foundational and  functional value. In summary form Umoja means:

To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.

The other values of the Nguzo Saba are: Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity) and Imani (Faith). All these values provide a interwoven cultural value fabric for all-year-round cultivation and ascension. They do not hold prescriptive detail at any micro activity level for they are necessarily empowering to Afrikan souls throughout the world at a general level of engagement. These six values rest and rely upon the value of Umoja. Hence, Umoja attracts a particular focus.  None of the seven principles are mutually exclusive to any other in the series.

The Nguzo Saba are for living engagement therefore they provide essential tools in the process of all-year-round cultivation of the self.  During celebratory observance period of Kwanzaa each principle has a day of focus. For example, the first day on the 26th December is the day of Umoja, the 27th of December is the day of Kujichagulia and so on until the concluding day of  January 1st which is the day of Imani. Whilst each principle can be given light and be energised on its given day, Kwanzaa being a celebration rooted in harvesting, it is also to celebrate the victorious strides and achievements made with that particular value. Therefore, the day of the Umoja is celebratory of the all-year-round effort Afrikan souls have made for unity, the day of Kujichagulia is celebratory of the all-year-round effort Afrikan souls have made for self-determination and so on until the day of Imani being celebratory of all-year-round effort Afrikan souls have made for Faith.

In this sense, Kwanzaa as living phenomena does not begin on the 26th December. The 26th represents the start of the celebratory period for the achieved yield of all-year-round effort by Afrikan souls in their imperative thrust of self-cultivation and ascension.

Kwanzaa is one of the essential cultural observances of life within the Universal Royal Afrikan Nation. The Universal Royal Afrikan Nation (URAN) is an Afrikan-centred spiritual and cultural mission for ascendancy that embodies living spiritually and culturally rooted life. To find out more about URAN and its spiritual-cultural mission for liberty and nationhood click here. The exquisite URAN pendant can be obtained online by clicking here.

In his capacity as an Afrikan-centred spiritual cultural practitioner this author is available for further learning in this regard and also for the carrying out of ceremonies such as naming and name reclamation. For details please click here.

Afrikan World Studies programmes are an important forms of study in understanding the Afrikan experience. There are a range of subjects covered on these programmes including History, Creative Production, Psychology and Religion. To find out more about these learning programmes please click here. For the video promo for these learning programmes click here.

Also, in the approach to the important cultural observance of Kwanzaa, the text: From Pert-En-Min to Kwanzaa - A Kuumba (Creative) Restoration of Sacred First Fruits by this author is available to purchase online here. This publication provides informative detail on the of the Kwanzaa celebration. You can also visit the institution of Yemanja to pick up a copy.

At nominal cost, also consider acquisition of an a4 laminate poster of articulations by this author when visiting the Yemanja institution to enrol, consult, learn, gather or otherwise.

Also, visit www.u-ran.org for links to Afrikan liberation Love radio programme on Universal Royal Afrikan Radio online.