Mecca Media Entertainment/Akron Hip Hop.com has partnered up with 7 different barbershops to celebrate Kwanzaa with $7.00 haircuts during the 7 days of Kwanzaa. Each barbershop will offer the $7.00 haircut for one day. All you have to do is show up and tell the barber the Kwanzaa principle of that day. For those that's not in the know regarding what Kwanzaa is all about, in-short it's simply 7 days of Afrocentric acknowledgement.
Some of our people just celebrate x-mas and that's OK but a growing number of African Americans are participating in the Kwanzaa celebration annually.
The Meaning:
Kwanzaa celebrates what its founder called the seven principles of Kwanzaa, or Nguzo Saba (originally Nguzu Saba—the seven principles of African Heritage), which Karenga said "is a communitarian African philosophy," consisting of what Karenga called "the best of African thought and practice in constant exchange with the world." These seven principles comprise *Kawaida, a Swahili word meaning "common". Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the following principles, as follows:
1.Umoja (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
2.Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define and name ourselves, as well as to create and speak for ourselves.
3.Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems and to solve them together.
4.Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
5.Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
6.Kuumba (Creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
7.Imani (Faith): To believe with all our hearts in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.
Kwanzaa celebratory symbols include a mat (Mkeka) on which other symbols are placed: a Kinara (candle holder), Mishumaa Saba (seven candles) mazao (crops), Muhindi (corn), a Kikombe cha Umoja (unity cup) for commemorating and giving shukrani (thanks) to African Ancestors, and Zawadi (gifts). Supplemental representations include a Nguzo Saba poster, the black, red, and green bendera (flag), and African books and artworks - all to represent values and concepts reflective of African culture and contribution to community building and reinforcement.With corn being the primary symbol for both decoration and celebratory dinning. Until next time, have some fun and get something done.
Kwanzaa celebratory symbols include a mat (Mkeka) on which other symbols are placed: a Kinara (candle holder), Mishumaa Saba (seven candles) mazao (crops), Muhindi (corn), a Kikombe cha Umoja (unity cup) for commemorating and giving shukrani (thanks) to African Ancestors, and Zawadi (gifts). Supplemental representations include a Nguzo Saba poster, the black, red, and green bendera (flag), and African books and artworks - all to represent values and concepts reflective of African culture and contribution to community building and reinforcement.With corn being the primary symbol for both decoration and celebratory dinning. Until next time, have some fun and get something done.
-Hiram Akeem
