At the heart and soul of Kwanzaa
is the Nguzo Saba, Kiswahili for seven principles.
The purpose of these principles is to set a value system specifically for the black family.
This is described below by Dr. Karenga, the creator of Kwanzaa:
"Kwanzaa
was created to introduce and reinforce seven basic values of
African culture which contribute to building and reinforcing family,
community and culture among African American people as well as Africans
throughout the world African community." "The
Official Kwanzaa Website" (section on Nguzo
Saba)
This is also
made evident in his earlier 1977 book on Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa: Origin,
Concepts, Practice:
"Thus
the core principles of Kwanzaa are the Nguzo Saba (The Seven Principles)
which I developed and proposed during the Black Cultural Revolution in the
Sixties as a necessary minimum set of principles by which Black people must
live in order to begin to rescue and reconstruct our history and
lives. The Nguzo Saba are thus, social principles dealing with ways
for us to relate to each other and rebuild our lives in our won
image." pg 14.
Belief in God Condemned
Dr. Karenga's hatred of
God-fearing religions prompted him to create his own system of principles that
apparently he hoped would steer men away from what he felt was a weakness -- a
belief in God.
An example of his opinion of religion is the following quote from his book, Kawaida
Theory (1980):
"Belief
in spooks who threaten us if we don't worship them and demand we turn over
our destiny and daily lives must be categorized as spookism and
condemned." pg 27
And also when he says of Christianity and
Judaism in his list of negatives of religion:
"...it is a
simplistic and often erroneous answer to existential ignorance fear,
powerlessness and alienation. An example is the Hebrew myth of the
six-day creation and the tower of Babel, or Christian myths of resurrection,
heaven and hell;" Kawaida Theory, p 23.
"...it often
denies and diminishes human worth, capacity, potential and
achievement. In Christian and Jewish mythology, humans are born in
sin, cursed with mythical ancestors who've sinned and brought the wrath of
an angry God on every generation's head. ... If a mythical being has done,
does and will do everything, what's our relevance and role in the
world?" K.T. p 24.
And in spite of
claiming Kwanzaa to be a time of giving "reverence to the Creator"
as he claims now (Kwanzaa:
A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture,, pg 19), his disdain
for prayer of any type is shown in his early writings.
"Thus
if persons want to fast or pray, read numbers, stare at stars, chant
spookistic slogans or anything similar, they may, but is is imperative that
they not add these to or pretend they are a part of the principles and
practices of Kwanzaa." Kawaida Theory, p 15.
It wouldn't be
erroneous to say that Karenga intended to create a celebration that steered
Blacks away from God, but to celebrate and honor man instead. He makes
this clear when he makes the following statement in his book, Kawaida
Theory:
"When
messenger Muhammad taught that we are Gods and can make history and remake
the world in our own image and interests, he set a good example." p
27.
The Nguzo Saba - A Black Way of Life
The Nguzo Saba are seven
principles clearly set apart for the Black American and not for others. It is also an attempt by Dr. Karenga to introduce humanistic principles for
improving life without God. Kwanzaa is not just a cultural celebration,
but an attempt to establish a way of life with man as the center of worship
and reverence.
If
anything, many are accepting these principles as SPIRITUAL principles and a
guide for their lives. A disturbing fact for the Christian who believes
that all spiritual principles begin with the Bible and not with man.
The Nguzo Saba
1) Umoja (Unity) "To
strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and
race."
"...unity means a oneness, a similarity and sameness that gives
us an identity as a people, an African people." Kwanzaa:
A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture, p 44.
2) Kujichagulia (Self-determination) "To define ourselves,
name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves instead of
being defined, named, created for and spoken for by others."
"The principle and practice of self-determination expresses and
supports the concept and practice of Afrocentricity. Afrocentricity is a
quality of thought and practice which is rooted in the cultural image and
human interests of African people." p 50.
3) Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) "To build and
maintain our community together and make our sister's and brother's problems
our problems and to solve them together.
...is commitment to active
and informed togetherness on matters of common interest. It is also
recognition and respect for the fact that without collective work and
struggle, progress is impossible and liberation unthinkable." p 51.
4) Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) "To build and maintain
our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them
together."
*"The fourth principle ... is essentially a commitment to the
practice of shared social wealth and the work necessary to achieve it."
p 55.
5) Nia (Purpose) "To make our collective vocation the building
and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their
traditional greatness.
The assumption here is that
our role in human history has been and remains a key one; that we as an
African people share in the great human legacy Africa has given the
world." p 58.
6) Kuumba (Creativity) "To do always as much as we can, in the
way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial
than we inherited it." p 61.
7) Imani (Faith) "To believe with all our heart in our people,
our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of
our struggle."
"For in all African spiritual traditions, from Egypt on, it is taught
that we are in the image of the Creator and thus capable of ultimate
righteousness and creativity through self-mastery and development in the
context of positive support." p 65.
