Misconceptions About Kwanzaa: Should Kwanzaa be Learned About or Participated in Because it Won’t Get Me a Qualification or a Job?

Afrikan people have always worked and worked with grand effort. The building of their own societies in their natural order of self-governance brought to fruition the worlds greatest and most long-lived civilisations. To be wilfully and incessantly idle and neglectfully waste one’s time is anathema to Afrikan culture.  The following account of traditional Afrikan living from the author W.Blyden states:

“The man has to fell all the timber on the land, and prepare the land for building or farming. He has to build the house for the wife… The women sow the seed and the men and women reap the crop. In cloth manufacture the women spin the cotton and the men weave. Everywhere there is this division of labour. All work. But the men everywhere always do the hardest and most exhaustive forms of labour…after the daily work, the evening bath, and the evening meal, they decorate themselves, and indulge in various native dances. Free from undue anxiety…[and] knowing that the earth will constantly yield her increase sufficient to supply all their needs…With him work is not the object of life, but life is the object of work. He does not live to work, he works to live”.

Afrikan people work to live life’s fullest flourishing and clearly work is necessary effort for the result. Therefore, work is not the end or the ‘be all’ in and of itself. Indeed, both work and the learning that goes with it have a functional context. They serve the best interests of life institutions such as family, community and nation.  

Unfortunately, as a result of the Maafa of recent centuries Afrikan life institutions have been subject to the destructive attacks of others that mean the Afrikan ill. In this, the natural norm of Afrikan life institutions and functioning has far to often been skewed (at best). Put another way, the natural norm and functional reason to work or to become learned can be at a dire deficit. Work of natural functional Afrikan order has in many cases been replaced by the notion of a ‘job’ or being a ‘student’. Though, often compelling in an alien-constructed environment to eek out skills and means for livelihood, they are largely void of the vital and natural norm of the Afrikan life institution context.    

According to a popular mainstream source the word job simply means:

“a paid position of regular employment”. Or, “a task or piece of work, especially one that is paid”.

Here for the Afrikan, the essence of working to live and live as Afrikan family, community and nation is beyond this meaning.

Likewise according to the popular mainstream platform the word student is:

“denoting someone who is studying in order to enter a particular profession”.

Here, again for the Afrikan, the essence of working to live and live as Afrikan family, community and nation is beyond this meaning.

Surely, then it is for Afrikan people (whatever else they may be compelled to engage in) to invest in the necessary learning, growth, development and work to restore and establish their own life context independent of the employ or study made available by others which lacks Afrikan life substance. Self-determined work and study in this regard is not for others to qualify and value but for Afrikan souls to value for themselves.  Indeed, it is such effort that provides meaningful context and worth and relevance to work and study whether brought about by Afrikans themselves or otherwise.

One other mainstream source describes the functioning of work in this way:

“When you work, you are learning new things, getting more skills, and making friends with people you meet through your job. Community. People work to be part of and contribute to their communities. This means that jobs exist not only for your benefit”

In this articulation, if the word community is qualified with the identifier Afrikan it would surely highlight the restorative and work of elevation that Afrikan people ought to have a level of participation in.

Kwanzaa then is a powerful vehicle available to be learned about and participated in that it carries Afrikan restorative and elevation substance. Kwanzaa wonderfully celebrates the natural norm of Afrikan life institutions such as family, community and nation and their fullest possible flourishing. For if Afrikan souls have jobs and are students surely these engagements must hold some meaningful value to their own life institutions. If not, then who’s life institutions do these engagements exclusively serve?

The wonderful observance of Kwanzaa and its core values are a powerful vehicle of Afrikan self-determined cultural knowingness fundamental to Afrikan life. It is part of the magnificent core thrust of cultural living and life institutional thriving necessary to give subsequent and outwardly expressed endeavours of learning or employ value to Afrikan life. Adjusting to render the  questions of: ‘Will Afrikan people qualify themselves?’ And ‘Will Afrikan people work in their own interests?’ will surely drive answers to dispel gross misconception on the front of job and study. Whatever the role, whatever its level, whatever its status, whatever its potential is to earn, whatever its capacity is to earn and so on, Afrikan cultural fabric and Afrikan life institutions are vital and fundamental.  Illustratively, It would be more than strange for other people to abandon their cultural observances on the basis of a job or obtaining a particular qualification. It would be exponentially more catastrophic for the primary people of creation and bringers of culture and civilisation to the world to abandon themselves in such a way. The Afrikan must fully live. 

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.