Karenga to sign Kwanzaa book

By Jeanine Cardullo, Online Forty-Niner

Thursday, November 19, 1998

Dr. Maulana Karenga, chairman of the black studies department at Cal State Long Beach, will bring the teachings and meaning of Kwanzaa, the African American and Pan-African holiday, to life at a book signing today.

"Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture," will be used by Karenga to engage participants in Kwanzaa's life affirming vision and values. Karenga states that a motivating force behind the book is one of "reaffirming the integrity, beauty and expansive meaning of Kwanzaa."

Originated by Karenga, Kwanzaa - which means first fruit in Swahili - begins Dec. 26 and lasts until Jan. 1. The Swahili language was chosen for Kwanzaa because it is spoken throughout most of Africa.

By using a more well-known language from the continent, it is hoped that African Americans will remember that all of Africa is their ancestral land, and that unity is paramount.

Kwanzaa is a seven-day, non-religious holiday that ushers in a festival of culture, spirituality and the celebration of the oneness of life, according to the official Kwanzaa web page.

The celebration is centered around seven principles; Umoja, (unity), Kujichagulia, (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity), and Imani (faith), which according to Karenga's book, are needed to aid African Americans to "rescue and reconstruct their lives in their own image ... and sustain an Afrocentric family, community, and culture."

Born Ronald Everett, Karenga later changed his name to Maulana, which means master teacher, and Karenga, which means keeper of the faith.

According to the Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History, following the Watts riots, Karenga immersed himself in cultural nationalism, and became father to a holiday that is now celebrated by more than 26 million people worldwide.

If individuals were to take just one inspiration away from the ideals of his work, it would be that he tried to honor the fundamental African ethical teaching from the Odu Ifa and the ancient sacred text of Yorubaland, Karenga said. The teachings of these works hold that the mission of human life is the bringing of good into the world.

"I have tried to bring good into the world as a scholar activist, who believes and acts on the best of our tradition, which also teaches that knowledge is not simply knowledge for knowledge sake, but for human sake," Karenga said.