Kwanzaa: What It Is vs. What It Should Be.

People think observing or celebrating Kwanzaa is an accomplishment
unto itself, or a contribution to our culture and the struggle.

I
thought Kwanzaa was supposed to be a review and recognition of the past
year’s accomplishments and contributions to the struggle.

I
thought is was a recognition of our “Harvest,” of what we’ve cultivated,
grew, and brought in over the past year.  But we still celebrate as we
degrade, regress, and lose ground.

If our conditions are worse from one year to the next, they how are we
to celebrate Kwanzaa; there should be a Kwanzaa Mourning event, not
Kwanzaa Celebrations.  I think that would do more to instill the
principles of the Nguzo Saba in our communities.

Would it be
right to have a Harvest Festival if your crops failed for the season, if
our children are starving and dying, and we had to depend on your
bitter enemies to feed us; would it be appropriate to come together for
songs, dance, and celebrations; or should we be holding Kwanzaa War
Councils to make sure that their are tangible goals set forth,
measurable expectations, and they we can, in a years time, come together
and “celebrate” our political, economic, cultural, military, and
Pan-African Harvest.

In reality, Kwanzaa has become a (corporate
sponsored, corporate media covered) Party.  A party is when you come
together for fun and enjoyment, for fun and enjoyment’s sake; that’s not
a celebration.  A celebration is when you come together to celebrate
specific accomplishments.  We have enough partying going on in our
communities, and we have formal celebrations for most of the milestones
in our lives; like graduations, good grades, new homes, weddings, and
shit like that.  So, I think if we are going to have a specific
“celebrations” for our collective culture and progress, we should be
setting benchmarks for our collective culture and progress; and
determining how he are moving towards those benchmarks.

I’ve
tried to initiate a Kwanzaa 365 to do just what I’m suggesting, but it’s
kinda hard to rally folks around the Nguzo Saba; or to give the
principles more than just lip-service.  But maybe it’s just me, perhaps a
more charismatic individual will actually make Kwanzaa what the S.O.B.
who invented it (out of thin air) told us what it was supposed to be.  

I am sick of attending Kwanzaa Parties, and I don’t see where’s there’s
a real call for a Kwanzaa Celebration, unless you don some Rose-colored glasses
to look our our collective condition, and the conditions of the Global
African Population.  Or you are into morphing losses into victories as
one of the many Defence mechanisms we’ve invented to navigate this oppressive System.

But again, maybe it’s just me and my “negative energy.”  Maybe I’m the Black Grinch who Stole Kwanzaa.  Perhaps.  

‪#‎Kwanzaa2015‬
‪#‎NguzoSaba‬

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