Misconceptions About Kwanzaa: Is Kwanzaa Not Just Merely a Side-Event?

Afrikan people have throughout the annals of their natural norm of self-determined life expression as nation necessarily held in pinnacle regard their own special cultural times of year. Such times are obviously special because of the outward expressions of joy and happiness that they bring to Afrikan life.  Yet, at the same time, there is deeply meaningful and rooted substance that gives rise to the obvious and rightful emission of Afrikan joy and happiness. As part of Afrikan life’s cultural fabric, such times exist because they are part of the living flow of Afrikan life as determined by Afrikan souls themselves. With particular areas of focus to empower Afrikan life special cultural times of the year are just that – ‘times of the year’.

According to a popular mainstream platform the word event is defined as being:

“a thing that happens or takes place, especially one of importance”.

Whilst special cultural times of year are important they carry a greater depth of life-meaning than something such as a punctuating gathering or activity. Further mainstream meaning of the word event states it is:

“a planned public or social occasion”.

Certainly, Afrikan people may organise community gatherings in celebration of special cultural times of year and these are important. However, any such organised gathering is an outward expression of the special cultural time and not the special cultural time itself. As such, there is a clear distinction between the levels: the time of the year is the relevant special cultural time and the social occasion is the outward expression of an organised event.  

With the interruptions and disruptions that have taken place throughout the Maafa of recent centuries Afrikan people and their culture have been set upon in destructive ways by others that mean the Afrikan ill. As a result, special cultural times of year and their rooted level of meaning in Afrikan life had taken a toll.

Wonderfully and through the brilliancy of Afrikan effort a wonderful special cultural time of year has (through a victorious process of creative restoration) been established for the Afrikan world community with Kwanzaa. As with the ageless continuum of other such Afrikan times of the Afrikan annual cycle Kwanzaa is no side event. In fact, Kwanzaa is no event at all. From the 26th December to the 1st January, its Kwanzaa time. Kwanzaa is not an organised social occasion. Rather, Kwanzaa is a special cultural time of year.

With this glorious holiday celebration period the Afrikan is challenged to relinquish the vestiges of  Maafa ills and not reduce this important time to the level of event (as important as rightful events are). Alien forces surely rub their hands with glee at the prospect of undoing cultural restoration and perpetuation of cultural regression (or worse). Another meaning of the word event offered by the mainstream source is:

“each of several particular contests making up a sports competition”.

If special cultural times of year are reduced to level of event (and by extension) viewed as the basis of a contest with all the ill contaminates of destructive clawing supported by alien forces that that can bring, there is no victory for Afrikan souls. As such, the Universal Royal Afrikan Nation (URAN) necessarily celebrates Kwanzaa at the activity and events level. However. URAN principally holds Kwanzaa as a cultural observance as a part of its cultural observance calendar cycle.

According to another mainstream source the phrase cultural observance is described as being an:  

“Official cultural observance such as memorials, holidays or practices related to a specific culture or cultural tradition”.

Are Afrikan people prepared to reflect their own cultural holiday of Kwanzaa as rightfully official in their lives? Such a question would surely be irrelevant or non-valid to ask of Afrikan souls in a natural norm of fullest flourishing. The appropriate level of lived officialness for the Afrikan’s own cultural observance is surely a reflection of how Afrikan souls conceive of themselves. If the self or mirrored reflection of the special times is less than optimal then surely there is responsible and progressive work of ascension to do and ills to purge.

With the wonderful observance of Kwanzaa  Afrikan people throughout the world have their own time to celebrate themselves. Though it is important (where possible) to go to a gathering in celebration of Kwanzaa, there is no going to Kwanzaa as would be the case were it an event, for it is a cultural observance time – Kwanzaa time! A suggestion that Kwanzaa is an event or (worse yet) a side event in Afrikan life is a gross misconception.

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