Kwanzaa Celebrations Commence with Emphasis on Afrocentric Virtues and Community Unity

This year’s Kwanzaa celebrations got underway this evening.

During the blessing of the festival held at the Ivy Community Centre, Pan-Africanist Wayne Onkphra Wells, told Barbados TODAY that the season should not be viewed as one to replace Christmas, but rather as an opportunity for persons from across the African diaspora to come together and reaffirm their commitment to positive virtues.

“We do not seek to replace Christmas, but we are giving an alternative for individuals who are more Afrocentric, to highlight virtues and principles of nation building, [the] family [and] social responsibility.

“Because it is grass rooted, it reflects altruism. Christmas [is] peace on earth and goodwill to all men, but the commerce of Christmas almost nullifies the virtues. [With] Kwanzaa we say this is collective responsibility, this is creativity, this is faith, this is collective works… all of these are virtues within the seven principles that we try to [encourage].”

The ceremony featured presentations from members of the Spiritual Baptist Church, the Israel Lovell Foundation Drummers, the Barbados Landship, and others.

Onkphra also stated that while Kwanzaa, like other Afrocentric movements, is gaining popularity locally, more has to be done to promote knowledge of the event.

“The ‘engine room’ is usually with civil society to highlight celebrations like this. It’s just the same as the Back to Africa movement or reparations. When it has begun to have fruits, then we find the other parts of society joining in. We as the civil society are knocking on the relevant doors, and this year we are gaining more understanding with governmental institutions to help provide the funds to really have it consistently in the minds of the people. Kwanzaa, reparations, all of these things, are part of the decolonisation process, ” he said.

This year’s festival features a variety of events including a Kwanzaa Parade through the Haynesville community on Wednesday and a Kwanzaa-themed picnic will be held in the National Botanical Gardens on January 1st. (SB)