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Joyous Kwanzaa to all of the Africans whether directly from the motherland or part of the diaspora. Use these days to reconnect, realign and recommit yourself with the values that make you a better person and strengthen our community.
Theres many websites that can tell you how to set up your kinara, the list of principles (Nguzo Saba) what gifts to give (Zawadi) and how the Karamu celebration should go. Our celebration guide offers family friendly activities for each day. Tell us in the comments your experience or thoughts on completing the activities!
Habari Gani?! (Whats the news?)
Day 1: Umoja (Unity)
To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
Family discussion questions:
❤️How can you create unity in your family? community?
🖤What does a United race look and feel like?
💚What can we accomplish if we act in unity?
Unity in Action:
Create a group (facebook, whatsapp, club house) for your family, block or neighborhood. Use this to communicate important information. Celebrate high, be support for the lows. You can even plan a virtual celebration for the 6th day of Kwanza *wink wink*
Day 2: Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)
To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves for ourselves and speak for ourselves.
Black peoples solving black problems, making black media content, naming our heroes, and choosing our own name.
Create a Family Affirmation:
List adjectives and feelings that show how America views our people.. how are we portrayed in the media? Movies? School? Etc.
Right next to it, list how you see your family and friends. What do you look like? What are your values? What do you enjoy doing?
Finally, discuss how these two are similar or different.
Create a family affirmation that will arm you each day to replace the negative labels of the world with the positive ones you know you possess.
Defining Me:
Collect photos of black figures, and any image that represents "black joy" to you
Use these photos to create a photo book, collage, photo string... anything! But use this as a reminder of how you define blackness.
Name Yourself:
Pick an adjective to describe your loved ones, your current or future self.
Look up how to say that adjective in Swahili
Thats it! Use this name through out the year
Day 3: Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility)
To build and maintain our community together and make our brother's and sister's problems our problems and to solve them together.
Collective Problem Solving:
❤️Pick an issue that your family or your community faces; such as lack of generational wealth, homelessness, healthy food scarcity.
🖤Brainstorm some action steps that you can do together to combat your problem. This can blossom into volunteering or starting a community project
💚Remember that the solution comes with action, that we must engage in all year long.
Family Vision Board:
Grab very magazine and newspaper and clip images that remind you of what you want your family impact to be in the community, how you would like your family time to look and a goal that you would like to accomplish together!
Day 4: Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)
To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.
BUY BLACK Challenge:
Pick 5 items in your household and research a black owned company to start buying that item from.
Actually buy it! Slowly start replacing the items you can in your household with black owned versions.
-Some places to start your search:
-Follow hashtags like:
Start Your Own:
Think about what problem you want to solve OR what product/service you can offer OR both!
Day 5: Nia (Purpose)
To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
Our actions must be intentional!
Family Discussion Questions:
❤️What is my purpose?
🖤 Am I being intentional with my actions and thoughts?
💚How can I use my purpose to intentionally help/support my people?*
Purpose in Action:
To expand on the last question with children; allow them to pick something they’re good at like dancing, singing, art...anything!
Help them share this activity with their family or community.
Day 6: Kuumba (Creativity)
To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
Community Beautification:
Any way you wish to complete a project that helps add beauty to your neighborhood or home. Some ideas are..
Create Kwanzaa posters or art to hang in your windows
Plant a tree/flowers
Plan a community garden
Clean up a park or street
Plan for/ sketch out a mural
Karamu:
Have family dinner! And if you haven’t set any time aside so far this holiday to pay homage to your ancestors then do so today with libations.
Tamshi la Tambiko (Libation Statement)**
It is tradition to pour libation in remembrance of the ancestors on all special occasions. Kwanzaa, is such an occasion, as it provides us an opportunity to reflect on our African past and American present. Water is suggested as it holds the essence of life and should be placed in a communal cup and poured in the direction of the four winds; north, south, east, and west. It should then be passed among family members and guests who may either sip from the cup or make a sipping gesture.
LIBATION STATEMENT:
For The Motherland cradle of civilization.
For the ancestors and their indomitable spirit
For the elders from whom we can learn much.
For our youth who represent the promise for tomorrow.
For our people the original people.
For our struggle and in remembrance of those who have struggled on our behalf.
For Umoja the principle of unity which should guide us in all that we do.
For the creator who provides all things great and small.
Day 7: Imani (Faith)
To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.
We must believe there is good in each other.
Day of Assessment or Day of Meditation:
Use this day to fast, meditate and quietly reflect on the questions: Who am I; am I really who I say I am; and am I all I ought to be?
You can also use this meditation.**
Other Resources for Children:
Coloring Pages from Google
Kwanzaa Activity Pack from Afrocentric Montessori
Continue to Rise.
** Taken from https://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/index.html
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