A Kwanzaa Experience

DAC continues the tradition of hosting its annual Kwanzaa Experience and are delighted to be joined by presenting partner The M Ensemble!

Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday which celebrates family, community and culture. Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor of Africana Studies at California State University. Karenga, an author,

scholar and activist felt there was an indispensable need to preserve, continually revitalize and promote African American culture.

Celebrated from the 26st of December thru the 1st of January, its origins are in the first harvest celebrations of Africa from which it takes its name. The celebration focuses on seven principles known as the (Nguzo Saba). The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza” which means “first fruits” in Swahili, a Pan-African language which is believed to be the most widely spoken African language. 

Kwanzaa builds on the five fundamental activities of Continental African “first fruit” celebrations: ingathering; reverence; commemoration; recommitment; and celebration. Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday, not a religious one, thus available to and practiced by Africans of all religious faiths who come together based on the rich, ancient, and varied common ground of their Africanness.