From December 26 through January 1, millions of people around the world participate and experience Kwanzaa, a celebration based upon African and indigenous people’s values and traditions. Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, at a time when Diasporan Africans were reasserting their self-identity and self-determination and breaking free from an oppressive Eurocentric imperialist worldview and culture. It was designed to create and build an appreciation for unity, traditional African values, empowerment, and community.
Since its creation in the US, Kwanzaa has spread around the world and is now accepted and celebrated as an established holiday. Over the years, the celebration has had its detractors. Some opposed it because they thought it threatened or competed with Christmas. Some said it was a “made-up holiday,” some said or implied it was too Black, that it was African, while others resisted learning about it, learning the words, or they poo-pooed the principles behind it.
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