Kwanzaa Con-Troversy ???

Kwanzaa is a difficult celebration for many African-Americans, and maybe not for the reasons you would think. For the past few days, my social media feeds have been full of individuals questioning this problematic celebration. In theory, the celebration sounds like a lovely idea. It consists of a series of rituals fostering the Seven principles, which are as follows :

• Unity: Umoja
• Self-determination: Kujichagulia
• Collective Work and Responsibility: Ujima
• Cooperative Economics: Ujamaa
• Purpose: Nia
• Creativity: Kuumba
• Faith: Imani

But how does of the practice of this Holiday really manifest? In my 2013 post “Counting Kwanzaa: Thoughts On Voodoo Unity,” I mention how some people expressed the sentiment to me that “Kwanzaa is Crap.” The comments I still hear being raised, even within the African-American community, are that the celebration is deliberately generic, has a questionable founder, and has goals that are difficult to uphold.

Many Christians have a problem with the exclusion of Jesus at the time following his birth. This was, however, meant to be a cultural holiday not a religious one. Cultural critics seems to emphasize even the use of Swahili as a language choice makes the Holiday intentionally generic. Others feel that this choice was perfect as Kiswahili, or Swahili, has over 50 million speakers worldwide and functions as a common tongue for many individuals.

Kwanzaa is a holiday that was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966. According to his biography:

Dr. Maulana Karenga is professor and chair of Africana Studies at California State University, Long Beach. He holds two Ph.D.’s; his first in political science with focus on the theory and practice of nationalism (United States International University) and his second in social ethics with a focus on the classical African ethics of ancient Egypt (University of Southern California).

These are not the achievements however, that the critics are focusing on today. Karenga has been villianized, called everything from a criminal to a rapist. The truth is history often reveals that visionaries and leaders can have questionable pasts. Here on Voodoo Universe I have written about the problems with notables such as Zora Neale Hurston, and Martin Luther King jr. Can we celebrate a holiday despite someone’s problematic history? It looks like our ancestors did.

The goals of Kwanzaa are lofty ones. Self-determination and purpose are hard to come by for many people of color in these days of #blacklivesmatter when so many of us are still targets. We need to see ourselves, and each other with new and different eyes. The concept of cooperative economics is a brilliant move of the part of Karenga. Supporting each other financially can only help to benefit us all. What is in place now however is a different level of commodification. Mattel earlier this year launched the Ava DuVernay Barbie doll modelled after this first female African-American director to have her film nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. This is a bittersweet victory for me, as many of you know I went to NYU film school at a time when I was the only African-American woman in a class of hundreds. But how much money is Ms. DuVernay receiving for this doll ? Is the CEO of Mattel, Christopher A. Sinclair an African-American ? Where should the community be spending it’s money? I got the little ones in my life Multi-Cultural markers so they could get the right colors for their friends. We asked why weren’t there were more colors, but for now it’s a start.

I’m not trying to be contrary but there are some valid questions here ? Kwanzaa like our society is evolving. I’m not trying to add my name to the list of haters, but there is still a lot of important work to do, both inside and outside our communities. But for now, Happy Kwanzaa !