AFRICA and its identity through KWANZAA

KWANZAA Kwanzaa is celebrated mainly in America by the African Americans to honour the customs and traditions of their ancestors This is not a religious or political holiday. It is a time of reflection and celebration.

When This festival is usually celebrated from December 26 th through to January 1 st. Australians are just recovering from the Christmas celebrations at this time and getting ready for the New Year.

Why is it celebrated? Kwanzaa is a cultural celebration based on seven principles that serve as a guide for daily living and which are the basis for family beliefs in many parts of Africa. These are: Unity, Self-determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Co- operative Economics, Purpose, Creativity and Faith.

Who is involved? All family and friends are involved in this celebration. This is similar to many celebrations in Australia when family are usually always involved.

Food Family enjoy special foods such as fruits and vegetables, but sweet potato pie is a great favourite. In Australia we have special food in our celebrations too.

Costumes Dashiki - A shirt or suit worn during Kwanzaa celebrationsDashiki Kufi - A cap worn during Kwanzaa celebrationsKufi Kaftan (boubou) - A dress worn by women during Kwanzaa celebrationsKaftan (boubou) Kente cloth- Woven fabric of, bright, bold, colors and patterns. MAd eby the Ashanti people of Africa, clothing made of Kente cloth is worn by many African American and others during the Kwanzaa celebrations. In Australia we don’t really have any special costumes, but a lot of families like to dress in new clothes.

Artefact The artefact I have chosen to demonstrate this festival is a candle holder called a ‘kinara’. It is used to hold 7 candles for each of the principles of Nguzo Saba. One candle is lit each day, starting with the black candle. The candles are red, green and black, symbolic colours of Africa. This practice is very similar to the Christian tradition to Advent where one white candle is lit for each week in the lead up to Christmas Day with the last candle being lit on Christmas Day itself. It is also very similar to the Menorah used in the Jewish Faith.

Summary So as you can see African people create their own sense of identity with their own unique festivals and celebrations. This is how Australia remains such a diverse and interesting place to be but with many direct links to our own culture that continue to bring us all together as one.