Newspapers / The Carolina Times (Durham, … / Dec. 24, 1977, edition 1 / Page 19
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Action r i, Pa- 3 txrczcz::.zza u.t?n - Am Alternative THE CAROLINA THES 'ill 4Hl "V Here's hoping you're surrounded with gaiety this Christmas. Wishing you and your family a safe and happy yuletide! LOIIG'S FLonisjr 1 201 N. ROXBORO ST., DURHAM Let peace reign in your heart, Let joy abound! v Throughout the earth Let love be found! Scarborough ,.ft.i" Memorial a Gardens FUNERAL DIRECTORS AND EMBALMERS 3061 RoxboreSt. ' ' thirhim,ll.tj Phone 682-1 171 . (WE SEND FLEERS WORLDWIDE) Elegant Floral Arrangements Exquisitely designed in many prices to fit the occasion. Bovjl-Of-Fruit An Assortment Of Lucloui Fruits And Gourmet Items In A Re-Usable Bowl. ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED 8HOP AT HOME- ORDER BY . PHONE 493-1196 PAY BY MAtt. f I I . . MX a ffargott Chapels v The Christmas Size To Choose From. SOUTH SQUARE MALL UPPER LEyEL ACROSS FROM PICADILLY Kwanza was first articula ted by Ron Karenga in .the mid-sixties. -Those: ho Ire-f , member Vthosetbiikal' years, either as active par cipants or; sympathetic ob- tmie of social unheal not n: ever before seen in , this:. country. The CivU j Rights Movement was picking up, momentum, young blacks were in the streets, Ind'a foreign war was growing T, wcl"tf:c J u ",e dctennination in that we de more unpopular by the -day f wh.oIe world m this light. To fine ourseWes and speak for '. . In the midst of? these T'' 8 ?re.P?ope 'ourselves instead of being changes, many blacks search ed tor their true identity, looking to break away lrpiu being . the overlooked ' shadows of a predominantly Europeanized non-black culture. Karenga and other blacks saw the need to 'till the cultural vacuum that had enclosed black peop and their past. The afro was in vogue, so were African prints, sculpture, jewelry and dashikis. However, these were ' all materialistic manifests- , tions of blackness ?which seldom touched the spirit and soul of black people. Black playwrights jrid writers such as Imamu Baraka (Leroi Jones) and Haki Hammabuti (Don Lee) sought to crystalize the black experience, to make it real enough to internalize the pride, beauty and strength of black people - and above all, begin to form the value base necessary to sustain their tra ditional culture. Kwanza (pronounced Quan-za), meaning first fruits was born out of this need for Afro-Americans to have and share with others a cultural celebration of their own which reflects their proud and highly spiritual African heritage.. Kwanza merges the traditional after harvest agrarian celebration, native to most African peoples, with the black economic and political consciousness which evolved out of the sixties. As a value, or cultural base, ' the seven days of Kwanza emphasize and . re flect the seven African princi ples of Liberation: Umoja Unity, Kujichagulia-Self determination, Ujima-Collec-tive work and responsibility, . UJamaa-Cooperative. 1 econo mies' Nia-Purpo'se; rtudrhba Creativity, and Imani-Faith These seven principles (Nguzo saba) provide a set of values which serve to clarify and unify the cultural, economic, and political objectives of ', black people. Lou Palmer, .the noted black journalist, has pro vided us with an inspira tional view of the seven prin ciples celebrated during Kwanza including the 'hows1 and 'whys' to plan your own. Some may', prefer -''to '-mix Kwanza and Christmas. Others may simply decide to stick to Santa Claus and his reindeer. Those who cele brate the spirit and meaning of Kwanza and the Nguzo saba will find a new joy and sense of pride in sharing a true part of themselves with the greater part of. black people, worldwide. Umoja-African princi ple of unity - unity in mind, unity in body, unity in spirit and unity in the collective embrace of, all concepts, ideals and actions which make us the black and African people that we are. Umoja, spoken to each other on December 26, the first day of Kwanza. in com memoration and respecLvfjpjr . the. kind of all-African rjrrv fication which made our , ancestors' land - the place of many diverse tribal units and tribal customs - a con tinent of great empires and centers of knowledge, all created by the collective will and spirit that we now refer to proudly as the African or black experi ence. ' To be sure, Kwanza and , the concept of the seven rinciples are more fami- . iar to Africans who reside in Swhili speaking countries in the more easterly parts of Africa and all other parts of the black world straining against the age-old yokes of colonialism and other acts of human exploitation. The principles of Kwanza are being , stressed as a unifying factor for us all. Umoja, the first princi ple, because without if, 11 other ' principle's 'art? jflesjr meaningful. Unity denfjlijds that we strive for and! main tain together an under standing, patience and solidarity in our families, in our communities and--. , among ourselves as a group 7 ; of people. Unity demands that we accept ourselves SnlS.P th.rS Z freedom. It also means that ', ,othcf, .cultures for our well deamands that .we accept yihe. itw:M famit - Beirut Self determination k a 2ffS"J2 HJJ - f.".. fro ' l..mM-ir resources, online to be no mirror reflecting of anyone e,se s culture,' when that of our ow" B or such , signifi- Cance' Bc nothing "ore. and certainly-nothing ,ef.than what is ourt by right ."entage' and the contri- who are working for a com mon cause, finding diversity and creativity collectively. . Umoja signifies what unity means as an ..organizing and liberating tool, in that, as we begin to set our minds in a: frame of reference we will become aware of, and loyal to, one single purpose for blacks all oyer the world. That single putrpose, , or single ', ,t same ways - always depen ideology .-us'i; unconditional t ,.,'dent on other people and IN ;every,-man woman- and "dutifully Emitted. ' each oassine dav. to this w" PasMn8 ay- ,u In, i and crusade. . . ; Kujichagulia - African principle of self determina tion. Spoken on December '27th the second day of , Kwanza. Translated from Kiswahili, it means self- detemiination in that we de- 'defined and spoken for by others. This concept repre ' sents that side of us which makes and molds us into the kind of persons who' can ' build great nations and live in crime free communities. ;i If we think of ourselves as .a no good, troublesome, lazy, uninspired and uncreat.ive people, men wr ati ui uicsc THE SPIRIT OF .''....' . '. The Best of Wishes fori: the Holiday Season and for always. May the Holiday Seas&n find you feeling joyful for this is the most joyful of all seasons. . . . May you also find Peace , , , ....... : '''-..' ':f in the meaning of Christmas. prsshereoiiedetennines fth&estinies of those who fooW Wane's fo. footsteps. One musn be proud, certain and ;lH(fiy of hisher own values, works, and esteem as a human being. Kujichagulia demands that one be self assured enough to start a particular course and live up to it with integrity, it repre sents the principle of human nobility, the fact that any main can reach the. top of his or her' hopes and aspirations , so' long 'as he or she makes it clear to the world that heshe is determined to get there under his or her own steam and own control, Ujima - The African prin ! ciple of collective work and ' responsibility. Spoken on December 28th, the third day 'of Kwanza, Ujima permits us t6 move toward higher levels '. " y THE THE AT.1Er.ICAU T0DACC0 of working toward common goals. Collective work meant that we examine projects that ' are geared toward the Jnv provement, uplifting, enrich ment and devctopment of power for black people. It also means that we become involved and lend our indivi dual energy and creativity to these programs in our community. Working together toward common goals requires large measures of devotion and dedication to a project. It re quires high levels of trust so that no black brother or sis ter need every worry about the knife of betrayal' being r slipped into him or her by another brother or sister. Ujima means that we build, and maintain, our commu nities together and that we make our brothers' and sis ters' problems our problems. Solving them together, no SEASORI CO. 'matter what they are or how small or insignificant they may seem to be. Ujima means ' thatwe do not yell for help only when our house is burn ' big. It tneanr attaining a responsible attitude that w21 -allow us to pick up the buc ket and put out the fire' raging in any black persons life. Umoja wiS produce the , climate where aQ of us re ceive the necessary self assur- . ance to cope with our own place in the world and help determine where our people win go from a collective point of view. Continued Next WeekJ V. i 'a ,,- - . '! THE CAROLINA TIME. cart be ii your maittxM every weekend for a year for onry S8.84 CALL TODAY - 688-6687 - 7 f PTWBBWBJ"
The Carolina Times (Durham, N.C.)
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Dec. 24, 1977, edition 1
19
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