Now that the mad rush of shopping for Christmas is over, and before the New Year’s feast, you should be prepared to celebrate Kwanzaa, which starts on Saturday, Dec. 26.
Relax. Kwanzaa, a seven-day cultural holiday, is celebrated not as much by giving as by reflecting. Each day focuses on one of seven principles: Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity), and Imani (faith).
Saturday, December 26
Umoja (Unity)
*The African-American Research Library and Cultural Center will host a Kwanzaa celebration featuring dancing, drumming and a Kwanzaa marketplace from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The library is at 2650 Sistrunk Blvd. near Fort Lauderdale. For more information, call 954-625-2811. Admission is free.
*Barnes and Noble of Boca Raton, 1400 Glades Rd. in Boca Raton, kicks off the Kwanzaa season with a story-time session for children, featuring stories about the cultural holiday. The session begins at 11 a.m. and is free and open to the public. For more information, please call 561-750-2134.
Monday, December 28
Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility)
* Professor Carole Boyce-Davies of the Africana studies department at Cornell University will lecture on the issue of knowledge production by black women. The lecture will examine black women who produced knowledge even though they were consigned to nothing but labor, from enslavement to sharecropping, to difficult factory and field work. Boyce-Davies also will examine how the scholarship of anthropologist, educator and social activist Niara Sudarkasa, Ph.D. has contributed to the expansion of African, African-American and African Diaspora knowledge. The free lecture will take place at 6 p.m. Monday at the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center, 2650 Sistrunk Blvd. near Fort Lauderdale. For more information, call 954-625-2810.
*Learn about and celebrate Kwanzaa with a movie and more at the North Dade Regional Library, 2455 N.W. 183 St. in Miami Gardens. The program begins at 6 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, please call 305-625-6424.
Tuesday, December 29
Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)
*Festivities will take place at the Washington Park Community Center, 5199 Pembroke Road in Hollywood, beginning with a reception at 6:30 p.m. A program will follow from 7 to 9 p.m. featuring a brief history of Kwanzaa, African drumming and a guest speaker on the value of Ujamaa (cooperative economics). Admission is free. For more information, please call 954-967-4236.
Wednesday, December 30
Nia (Purpose)
*Adults and children are invited to the North Dade Regional Library, 2455 N.W. 183rd St. in Miami Gardens, for an introduction to Kwanzaa, with its history, the seven principles, the seven symbols and a candle-lighting ceremony. Listen to folk tales, poetry and music that capture the spirit of African Americans, pay homage to ancestors, honor the elders, and teach children principles and values. The program starts at 6 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, please call 305-625-6424.
*A Kwanzaa celebration will take place at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 2400 Charleston St. in Hollywood, beginning with refreshments at 6:30 p.m. The program will start at 7 p.m., and will feature a discussion of Nia (purpose). For more information, call 954-921-3404.
Thursday, December 31
Kuumba (Creativity)
*The city of Fort Lauderdale will pay homage to the sixth principle of Kwanzaa from 1 to 5 p.m. at Bass Park, 2750 N.W. 19th St. in Ft. Lauderdale. Kuumba, which means creativity, will be celebrated through ethnic dances, tribal storytelling, art exhibits, stage performances and a Karamu Feast of native foods. Admission is free. For more information, please call 954-828-8498.
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