Athens lit the Kinara last night to celebrate Kwanzaa in Baker Center Ballroom. Dr. Maulana Karenga, founder of Kwanzaa, made an appearance at Ohio University to promote the holiday.
Participants gathered for a pre-Kwanzaa celebration with Karenga to honor the tradition and its principles. The evening began with the pouring of libation - a ceremonial prayer - called Tambiko, by Karenga. He said the Tambiko is to honor African ancestors.
Established in 1966, Kwanzaa is based around five fundamental activities. Karenga set out to reaffirm the bonds of people, take time to thank the creator, think about ancestors on the Sabbath, establish a recommitment to cultural value and celebrate the good in life.
I wanted to recover and reconstruct African culture so that it represents the best of what it means to be African and human. I wanted to organize and enrich the community as well
Karenga said.
After the Tambiko, Ms. Karolyn Lee sang, Lift every voice and sing by James Weldon Johnson. Monique Griffin and Romere Hopson recited poems.
Hopson, 8 years old, said, It takes a lot of work but I was excited to do it.
After Hopson's poem, What color is black? by Barbara Mahone, Ms. Angela Davis explained the significance of the feast or Karamu. The feast involves welcoming, remembering, reassessment, recommitment and rejoicing. Karenga ended the feast with a farewell statement to call for greater unity or Umoja.
Karenga spoke of the three questions a person should ask on Kwanzaa, which begins December 26 - Who am I? Am I really who I am? Am I all of what I ought to be? These questions are asked to celebrate identity and reaffirm it, and make certain a person is living by the seven principles.
The principles are unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. Karenga said these principles were important on the path to self dignity and stated, we're not 50 cents we're all of it.
He closed his speech with a message of faith in the good and received a standing ovation.
Following Karenga the Sankofa Dance Troupe performed a dance of rejoicing. The dance involved several women dancing to African drums. An audience of roughly 200 people joined in the celebration with the dancers.
Grace Neequaye of the Sankofa Dance Troupe said, It was really wonderful to perform for someone so renowned and respected as Karenga. We really appreciated the opportunity to perform tonight.
Karenga resumed his place at the podium to close with a chant of Harambee for the seven principles.
The event was sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Programs and the Black Student Cultural Programming Board.
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Blake Gillespie
