The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Kwanzaa celebration welcomes all Dec. 30
Trinity-on-Main to host 27th annual event
NEW BRITAIN >> The Queen Ann Nzinga Center Inc. presents its 27th annual Kwanzaa celebration at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 30, at the historic Trinity-on-Main, 69 Main St., New Britain.
Kwanzaa, an African-American holiday observed each winter, encourages the traditional values of family, community, responsibility, commerce and self-improvement.
The celebration is open to people of all ages, races, cultures and faiths, and all are invited.
This year, the show is presented in collaboration with the Waterbury Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, a women’s service organization devoted to enriching and sustaining African culture and people of African descent.
Karen Lynne Gatling, of Waterbury has been involved in arts enrichment programs at the Queen Ann Nzinga Center since age 4. Now a senior in high school and a member of Girls Inc., a girl empowerment program, she is serving as an ambassador between the two programs.
With sponsorship from The Links, several teenagers from Girls Inc. will join QANC participants and attend rehearsals, learn about Kwanzaa and perform in this year’s celebration.
Along with traditional Kwanzaa rituals of African Drumming and Dance, the Libation Statement, candle lighting and positive affirmations, the Queen Ann Nzinga Center participants will perform in a musical, “A Change in Nguzo Saba (Seven Principles) High School.”
Based on the seven principles of Kwanzaa, the show demonstrates how the concepts of this holiday can be applied to everyday life. Playwright and program facilitator Rebecca Trapp, who has been involved with the Queen Ann Nzinga Center since childhood, wrote the script for the musical to capture the Kwanzaa concepts in action.
The performers include a mix of professionals, children and teenagers who will offer an eclectic show consisting of Gospel, Jazz, Soul, Pop and Hip Hop music.
The celebration will feature music from Nzinga’s Daughters, Nzinga’s Watoto, legendary soul singer Betty Harris and others.
The performance is made possible thanks to funding from the Greater Hartford Arts Council,
FROM PAGE 1 American Savings Foundation, City of New Britain, J. Walton Bissell Foundation and George A. and Grace L. Long Foundation.
Tickets: $15, general admission; $10, seniors and youth. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the show begins at 7 p.m.
Queen Ann Nzinga Center is named for a 15th Century African queen who protected her people from being sold into slavery. The name symbolizes the organization’s aim to empower young people with life skills, academic support and experiences to thrive. QANC, in its 27th year, is a nonprofit 501(c)3 that serves a diverse, multi-racial and multi-cultural population of children and teens by providing arts and cultural enrichment in a multi-generational setting. The program uses the performing and creative arts to help participants achieve goals, build self-esteem, develop strong values, gain an appreciation of culture, learn about the rich African heritage and understand cultural diversity. http://www.qanc.org or qancinc@gmail.com
The Links, Incorporated is an international, not-for-profit corporation. The membership consists of 14,000 professional women of color in 281 chapters located in 41 states, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. It is one of the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer service organizations of extraordinary women who are committed to enriching, sustaining and ensuring the culture and economic survival of African Americans and other persons of African ancestry. The Waterbury Chapter engages in partnerships with organizations with similar values and missions in support of Waterbury-area communities. The Chapter partners with Girls, Inc. of Southwestern Connecticut, working on community service, leadership building and healthy living activities to make a difference in the lives of young people in Waterbury and the surrounding communities.