what is kwanza?

Question

what is kwanza?

Faerie loue · Accepted Answer

KWANZAA IS:
THE FIRST FRUIT CELEBRATION
The Creation of KWANZAA (Kwahn-zah) 
Celebrated December 26 to January 1st of every year

In 1966, KWANZAA was created by a young visionary living on the west coast who was also the founder and chairman of the Black Nationalist Organization. Dr. Maulana Karenga, a trained political and cultural scientist and a participant and theoretician of the Black Liberation Movement, postulated that significant and meaningful Black movement in the U.S. was improbable, if not impossible, without a cultural component (base). He felt that at the base of any movement must be the cultural imperative that give the people a clear and precise sense of "idenity, purpose and direction."

KWANZAAWhen establishing Kwanzaa in 1966, Dr. Karenga included an additional "a" to the end of the spelling to reflect the difference between the African American celebration (kwanzaa) and the Motherland spelling (kwanza

Drew P · Answer

Kwanza is the African Currency of Angola.

Kwanzaa is the week-long Pan-African secular holiday primarily honoring African-American heritage. It is observed from December 26 to January 1 each year, almost exclusively in the United States of America.

Apollo · Answer

KWANZAA is derived from the Swahili word, KWANZA which means first fruits and is part of the phrase Matunda Ya. Dr Karenga added the extra "a" to distinguish the Afro-American from the African. The idea and conceptions of KWANZAA developed out the system of social and political thought of Kawaida (Tradition and Reason), also developed by Dr. Karenga.

Travis R · Answer

It's a fake holiday for blacks created by Ron Karenga, who is a woman beater. He took a hot iron and burned a womans tongue with it. What a humanitarian, huh? He said he invented the holiday around Christmas time because that is when all the blacks were drinking and carrying on anyway. It's a swahili tradition, from eastern africa, but most blacks came from western africa. Karenga didn't think blacks would catch on to this. He didn't care. It's a b.s. holiday.

amanda C · Answer

kwanza is a non-religious africian americian holiday that is celebrated for seven days starting on Dec.26-Jan 1.It was started as a way to bring Africian Americians together as one family.

-♦One-♦-Love♦- · Answer

African American holiday: a cultural and harvest festival celebrated by African Americans from December 26 to January 1

Montecar3 · Answer

A religion-less holiday for African Americans to celebrate harvest time.

bradxschuman · Answer

A "holiday" of recent creation by and for Afro-Americans during the x-mas/hannukah season.
It's about one notch more serious than "Festivus".

vickeymcgee · Answer

It's the Swahili form of Christmas.

smm · Answer

hey bradxschuman, what you have against festivus?  anyway, i agree.  but would like to add that a large portion of african americans don't celebrate the crap

what is kwanza?

12 Answers