Stuart Hess
The coming of freedom in South Africa has spurred a growing movement among Afr ican-Americans to skip Christmas and instead to celebrate the festival of Kwan zaa.
But in South Africa itself, the festival is unknown except to those who have l ived in the United States – and they do not seem to observe it when they retur n home.
Bill Clinton put a presidential stamp of approval on Kwanzaa by issuing a spec ial statement wishing well to everyone celebrating the festival. ”Kwanzaa help s us celebrate the human experience and appreciate our many blessings.”
”It’s purely an African-American invention. They are trying to rediscover Afri ca,” said author Zakes Mda in Johannesburg.
In the US, Kwanzaa has become a uniquely African-American week-long festival i n which millions celebrate their African heritage.
Off to a slow start when originally organised by the 1960s black-power movemen t, Kwanzaa gathered huge momentum in the 1990s, it is said, because of develop ments in South Africa.
”Kwanzaa” is Swahili for ”first fruit,” a name perhaps chosen for appropriaten ess to Africa rather than the US, where it is winter now with no harvest in si ght.
The festival starts with parties at home and exchanges of gifts on December 26 , which is not a general holiday as Boxing Day is unknown in the US. Each day of Kwanzaa is devoted to one of seven principles of the Nguzo Saba, a set of s piritual and social traditions synthesised in 1966 from Swahili folklore by Dr Maulana Karenga, head of the African-American Studies department at Californi
a State Un iversity.
The principles are umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), ujima (co llective responsibility), ujamaa (co-operative economics), nia (purpose), kuum ba (creativity) and imani (faith).
Like Christmas, Kwanzaa is observed with rituals and symbolisms. Also like Chr istmas, it is preceded by weeks of commercialism.
Shops throughout the country display Kwanzaa table-mats called mkekas and cand lesticks called kinaras next to seasonal gift merchandise. Corporate giants li ke Revlon, Hallmark, Pepsi- Cola and some major breweries have promotional exh ibits at pre-Kwanzaa shopping fairs.
According to estimates, the festival last year generated some $100-million (R4 70-million) worth of business for manufacturers of Kwanzaa ornaments, wrapping paper and greeting cards.
Duma Ndlovu, a South African poet and writer who spent 15 years in the US, and took part in Kwanzaa celebrations there, said it was an attempt by African-Am
ericans to move away from ”Westernisation”.
It was celebrated over the Christmas period ”to take away the hardships induce d by Christmas. Kwanzaa is a far cheaper celebration,” he said.