Seven Principles of Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa's seven day celebration honoring African heritage and culture centers around the Nguzo Saba: Seven principles that originate from Kawaida, the African philosophy around which creator Ron Karenga based the tradition of Kwanzaa. The principles focus on values that build and reinforce African American families, communities and African American culture.1. Umoja (Unity): Kwanzaa seeks to strengten the bond in African American families and communities, which in turn should strengthen the African race, let alone the African American culture.2. Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): Kwanzaa's celebrations invite introspection, looking within the self to define who its participants are, whether validation of one's identity or discovery of the self, and discover or cultivate your voice as an individual.3. Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): Kwanzaa brings families and communities together in part to promote community building and strength. Kwanzaa creator Ron Karenga says the idea of Ujima is to "make our brother's and sister's problems our problems and to solve them together."4. Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): In strengthening the community as individuals and families, Kwanzaa seeks to utilize those relationships to strengthen African American businesses through cooperation in helping maintain their operation and ensure that they all profit and thrive in the long run.5. Nia (Purpose): In defining the self and in building bonds with the African American community, Kwanzaa is about participants defining a common purpose for everyone in a family, everyone in a community and everyone as a culture to work towards in unison. Common goals should center around the Bia of restoring the traditional greatness of African culture.6. Kuumba (Creativity): In self discovery and affirmation of one's identity, and in affirming Nia, Kwanzaa is about cultivating a positive creativity that ultimately will break new ground and improve the community. Karenga states the ideal is to "leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it."7. Imani (Faith): Faith as defined in Kwanzaa isn't necessarily the faith of Christianity and other religions, but faith in the African culture, African American culture and in everyone's families and community. Kwanzaa is about restoring faith in one's fellow man, woman and child, in our mentors, leaders, the ideals that fuel the fundamental beliefs of African and African American culture as well as the struggles of ancestors that have preceded everyone along with the struggles to come in preserving everyone's families, communities and selves during the present into the future.All of the values are inter-related, and in tandem they are the fundamental backbone of every aspect of the Kwanzaa celebration.
