Kwanzaa In Southeast Queens
Coming Together
To Celebrate African Cultural Pride

By Shams Tarek

Kwanzaa, the seven-day African American cultural celebration that fills late December with African food, art, literature and values, is being celebrated in Southeast Queens and all over the borough from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1.

One major local Kwanzaa celebration is being sponsored by Jamaica ’s Afrikan Poetry Theatre, which has been doing public Kwanzaa events since 1978.

The Dec. 29 Annual Gala Kwanzaa Celebration, being held at August Martin High School, 156-10 Baisley Blvd. from 1 to 8 p.m., will start with a craft fair and vendor marketplace in the school’s gym. 

Six Southeast Queens African American dance, music and storytelling troupes will perform, including the August Martin H.S. step team, and there will be a candle lighting ceremony and presentation on the holiday by John Watusi Branch, executive director of the Afrikan Poetry Theatre.

Food, a major component of Kwanzaa celebrations, will be a plenty at the free, public event.

A smaller but equally significant event will be held at the Afrikan Poetry Theatre headquarters, at 176-03 Jamaica Ave. , on Dec. 31 from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.  

The free, public event will feature, Branch said, performances and a feast of African and African American foods.

Branch, executive director of the Afrikan Poetry Theatre and author of a 1977 illustrated poetry book called A Story of Kwanzaa, said that the holiday—started in 1966 by California State University black studies professor Dr. Maulana Karenga—was first celebrated by only the “culturally aware,” but has since spread into the mainstream.

A table spread with an African cloth and seven candles is at the center of most Kwanzaa celebrations.

“It used to be that the culturally-aware African Americans were celebrating Kwanzaa for many years,” Branch said. “Now, a lot of people have heard the name [but] they don’t know much about it.”

Branch said that Kwanzaa started to become more popular during the late 1980s, when Mayor Ed Koch made a public event out of lighting Kwanzaa candles and mainstream cultural institutions like the Museum of Natural History and City College held events celebrating the holiday.

The commercialization of the holiday through Kwanzaa Expo, a black products fair held for many years at the Jacob Javits Convention Center and later at various colleges throughout the city, added to people’s awareness of Kwanzaa, Branch noted.

“Because of the commercialization,” Branch said, “it became more in the public view.  When it hit the mainstream, it exploded onto the general public.”

A Kwanzaa stamp, issued by the U.S. Postal Service in 1997, has further solidified the holiday’s legitimacy by showing the federal government’s recognition of it.

The main educators about Kwanzaa are schools, especially at the college level, when black student organizations take the lead in teaching about and celebrating the holiday, said Branch, who has given presentations at colleges in various states.

Branch said that the church also promotes Kwanzaa celebrations—which are inherently secular—but not as much as schools do.

“Years ago it was kind of competitive with Christmas,” Branch said of the church’s relationship with Kwanzaa, “but many of them are involved now.”

He said there are still some holdouts in the religious community, even though “the main reason for celebrating Kwanzaa is a celebration of African American history and culture.”

“There are the really fundamental ones,” Branch said, “who don’t get involved.  There are some churches who have not embraced it.”

The timing of the holiday does help and hurt. 

Because the holiday is held between Dec. 26 and Jan. 1, the conflict with New Year’s Eve and its midnight celebrations has hampered attendance at some Kwanzaa celebrations.

“Those people who don’t want to do the wild thing,” said Branch, “they can do the Kwanzaa thing.”

The theme of this year’s nationwide Kwanzaa celebrations is “Kwanzaa and the Sharing of Good in the World.”

“That’s what Kwanzaa is,” Branch said.  “It’s a sharing.  It brings out positiveness.  Regardless of your religion, your politics, come and celebrate.  It’s a world message.”

Corona ’s Langston Hughes Community and Cultural Center got an early start to the celebrations last week by hosting an all-day celebration that included not only a craft fair and performances by African musical and dance groups, but visits by some high-ranking elected officials, as well.

Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Borough President Helen Marshall attended the Dec. 14 event.

Andrew Jackson, director of the Hughes Center , said that the event is a black cultural celebration that accepts people of all religions and national backgrounds.

“Even though it’s an African American celebration,” Jackson said, “it’s based on African principles.  It’s designed to be a cultural celebration by people who also celebrate Christmas, or any other holiday.”

The experts agree that when it comes to celebrating Kwanzaa, the first thing everyone must learn before observing, are the holiday’s symbols of:

• Mazao (Crops) – This is the symbol of the African harvest, the rewards of productive and collective labor.

• Mkeka (Mat) – A symbol of African tradition and history, the foundation in which the African American community is built on.

• Kinara (Candle Holder) – A symbol of African American roots in the continent of Africa , by acknowledging African ancestors.

• Muhindi (Corn) – The symbol of children, the future of a people.

• Mishumaa Saba (The Seven Candles) – These are the symbols of Nguzo Saba, which are the seven principles that are essential to the African American culture and community.

• Kikomba Cha Umoja (Unity Cup) – This symbolizes the practice and principle of unity, which without, nothing is possible.

• Zawadi (Gifts) – Is a symbol of the labor and love of parents and the commitments made and kept by their children.

 To celebrate Kwanzaa, choose a central place in the household to set its symbols.

A table usually spread with a piece of African cloth. Then, the Mkeka (mat) is placed over the table with the Mishumaa Saba (seven candles) which are placed inside the Kinara (candle holder) over the Mkeka.

There, candles are colored black (for the people), red (for the struggle) and green (for the hope in the future that comes through the struggle).

There is one black candle, three red and three green to represent the seven principles of Kwanzaa.

The placement of the candles in the Kinara is very important.

First place the black candle in the center of the Kinara.

This candle represents the prinicpal of Umoja, or unity.

The red candles are placed to the left of the black candle and represent Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujamaa (cooperative economics) and Kuumba (creativity).

The green candles are placed on the right side of the black candle and represent Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Nia (purpose) and Imani (faith).

On the first day of Kwanzaa the black candle is lit followed by the rest of the candles from left to right. One candle is lit for each day until the end of the Kwanzaa celebration.

This order represents that people came first, then the struggle that was followed by the hope that is brought by the struggle.

Two ears of corn are placed in the Mkeka to represent Mazao. According to practice, ears of corn are placed if the household has children or not.

In African tradition, every adult is considered an immediate social parent to all the children in his or her community.

Next the Kikombe Cha Umoja is placed on the Mkeka and used to pour Tambiko (libation) to the ancestors who without their sacrifices, the community and its people would not be.

It is important to note that throughout the ceremony, objects of African art and literature should be placed near the Mkeka to symbolize a commitment to heritage and learning.