KWANZAA HAS NEVER BEEN MORE WELCOME
Askari Sowonde is hosting virtual Kwanzaa celebrations
Habari Gani?
That’s the greeting for each day of Kwanzaa, the week-long holiday from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 that celebrates African-American heritage, family, community and culture.
This year, more than ever, Kwanzaa is a needed celebration, says Vallejo resident Askari Sowonde. Black Lives Matter marches, COVID-19 disproportionately affecting Black people, and distance from family and friends during our many “lockdowns” have all highlighted a need for greater connectedness, understanding, and calls for justice.
Kwanzaa was first celebrated in 1966 and has evolved and changed over time, but it has always been a celebration of a people and their history. Currently it is estimated that 6 million Americans take part each year, some in tandem with Christmas or Hanukkah, some only observing Kwanzaa.
“Kwanzaa is not political, it is not religious,” says Sowonde. “It’s a celebration of black people. We were taken from our homeland and were asked to celebrate everything and everyone else except for us. We have a rich culture; we come from kings and queens. We are geniuses, mathematicians. And it was put in our heads that we are not, but we are.”
Sowonde says she has been honoring Kwanzaa for 20 years in her home, but she was pleasantly surprised when she opened it up to the community that so many people wanted to take part.
This year, as with everything, celebrations of unity are done remotely from one another, but Sowonde and her friends and colleagues have found innovative ways to create connectedness. Beginning on Dec. 26, one of the “Seven Principles” of the holiday has been observed online, beginning with Umoja, or “unity.”
The Seven Principles are Umoja, Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics/supporting black entrepreneurship and businesses), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity), and Imani (faith).
Longer, 20-minute presentations of art, books, dancing, history, and awareness are being posted every evening through Jan. 1 at 6:30 p.m. on Facebook. The shorter videos and more lengthy ones all contain local people sharing stories and intoning the refrain, “Black Lives Matter.”
“Everybody put together their little pieces and brought them to me and now the videographer has created these little mini movies,” she said. “It’s a coming together to tell a richness of stories to bring our youth together as well as our elders.
“We have to come together as one where our fingers interlock.”
Sowonde then quotes an Ethiopian proverb: “When spider webs unite, you can tie up a lion.”
She insists that Kwanzaa is not meant to be a political event, but she does hope it will spur people to be more engaged with changing things for the better and raising awareness about issues in the black community.
Kwanzaa traditionally ends with a feast known as Karamu on New Year’s Eve. Kwanzaa is technically based on African harvest festival traditions, so things like corn are not only symbolic but often a part of the meal. Seven candles are burnt to represent the Seven Principals and homes are often decorated with African artwork. A lot of this was visible behind Sowonde as she talked to the Times-Herald via Zoom.
She hopes that his year’s celebration raises awareness but also helps people connect not only to each other, but to their greater community and history.
“What it is going to do is put out knowledge,” she said. “Entertainment and knowledge. People have to want to work together for change.”
To view the mini-movies, on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 at 6:30 each night, go to Askari Sowonde Productions on Facebook, or check out the Vallejo Community Kwanzaa page on Facebook.