KWANZAA: A SPURIOUS CHRISTMAS?
There is no historical narrative that there was anything like African Christmas. Many Africans who were born and breathed in Africa, traveled long and wide, met people from different African cultures have never heard of such Christmas. The Kwanzaa holiday is a spurious festival to satisfy the inner quest of some African Americans to identify themselves with Africa. How would it be the African American who has never ever visited Africa who should discover the African Christmas? Most Africans only discover Kwanzaa the “African Christmas” when they come to the US. Now think about it: if it is something that the slaves brought to the Americas, then it means they transplanted it or transported it from Africa. And if they transported it from Africa why don’t those who lived and live there know about it? Let’s say they did not have the opportunity to continue the feast. But one would not tell me that if after slavery it was destroyed and colonization abated then what about after independence?
The synagogues of the Jews were begun to replace the absence of temples in captivity. But immediately when they came back from captivity they built back the temple and continued their worship. If Kwanzaa was a feast that was a culture in the people it should not be the slaves to preserve it. Those on the run never preserve a culture but those on the spot. If those on the spot never preserved it then it did not exist.
However, there are two main cultural aspects that the African American has preserved from the African culture. The first is the sharing of power between the male and the female. The African society gave a woman the right to lead in a public arena as much as men. Examples are the Mwami of Rwanda and the Modjadji V of South Africa traditionally called the Rain Queen who were leading their villages in the 1800s long before feminism even showed its marriage breaking head world wide. That means; if a man is domineering, it is not because of where he comes from but what is in his heart.
The second is the jiving culture. Many people think the jiving of the African American began during slavery. No, it did not! How could it begin in the days of slavery when before they reached the slave depots, the future slaves were always singing? If they were singing before being introduced into slavery then they had it in their blood.
Our mothers always hoed with a song. An African mother carrying a child on her back pounded her cocoyams with a song. Mourners mourned during funerals with a song. Everything was done with a song. Even the town crier dispersing the edict of the chief or king dispensed his message with a song. The woman nursing her baby always had a lullaby on her lips. From the farm, though with a load on her head, the African woman sang until she reached home. The boys raring cattle sat on the hill top and watched their wealth with songs in their mouths. Every village gathering was engineered with songs without which there was no ceremony. The men whistled and played various instruments with their mouths as they weeded with their legs their way home from a hunting exercise. The only thing I knew was done without a song was the dance of the forest simply because of the taboo status attached to it. Therefore, the jiving in American churches should instead help to portray their roots and not its beginning
Songs and dance contests were always held before the advent of slavery to express internal gaiety and the pride of belonging. Every song related and relates to their experience as an expression of joy of life in their inner being as though saying: “though we are enslaved on every side yet we are free; we are dehumanized but still alive; exploited but not deprived; knocked down but not knocked out”. Their daily struggle alone made life miserable. Jiving diluted and alleviated their burdens and gave them hope to keep going. It expresses their determination to accomplish their task. The music had its weight in its sad tone that pierced the heart of the listener like that of the “Solitary Reaper”.
Therefore, for record purpose, Kwanzaa has never been and it is still not an African Christmas. Those who are celebrating it should do so on their own account knowing fully well it has an unauthentic origin.
Prince & PA Hamilton Ayuk
There is no historical narrative that there was anything like African Christmas. Many Africans who were born and breathed in Africa, traveled long and wide, met people from different African cultures have never heard of such Christmas. The Kwanzaa holiday is a spurious festival to satisfy the inner quest of some African Americans to identify themselves with Africa. How would it be the African American who has never ever visited Africa who should discover the African Christmas? Most Africans only discover Kwanzaa the “African Christmas” when they come to the US. Now think about it: if it is something that the slaves brought to the Americas, then it means they transplanted it or transported it from Africa. And if they transported it from Africa why don’t those who lived and live there know about it? Let’s say they did not have the opportunity to continue the feast. But one would not tell me that if after slavery it was destroyed and colonization abated then what about after independence?
The synagogues of the Jews were begun to replace the absence of temples in captivity. But immediately when they came back from captivity they built back the temple and continued their worship. If Kwanzaa was a feast that was a culture in the people it should not be the slaves to preserve it. Those on the run never preserve a culture but those on the spot. If those on the spot never preserved it then it did not exist.
However, there are two main cultural aspects that the African American has preserved from the African culture. The first is the sharing of power between the male and the female. The African society gave a woman the right to lead in a public arena as much as men. Examples are the Mwami of Rwanda and the Modjadji V of South Africa traditionally called the Rain Queen who were leading their villages in the 1800s long before feminism even showed its marriage breaking head world wide. That means; if a man is domineering, it is not because of where he comes from but what is in his heart.
The second is the jiving culture. Many people think the jiving of the African American began during slavery. No, it did not! How could it begin in the days of slavery when before they reached the slave depots, the future slaves were always singing? If they were singing before being introduced into slavery then they had it in their blood.
Our mothers always hoed with a song. An African mother carrying a child on her back pounded her cocoyams with a song. Mourners mourned during funerals with a song. Everything was done with a song. Even the town crier dispersing the edict of the chief or king dispensed his message with a song. The woman nursing her baby always had a lullaby on her lips. From the farm, though with a load on her head, the African woman sang until she reached home. The boys raring cattle sat on the hill top and watched their wealth with songs in their mouths. Every village gathering was engineered with songs without which there was no ceremony. The men whistled and played various instruments with their mouths as they weeded with their legs their way home from a hunting exercise. The only thing I knew was done without a song was the dance of the forest simply because of the taboo status attached to it. Therefore, the jiving in American churches should instead help to portray their roots and not its beginning
Songs and dance contests were always held before the advent of slavery to express internal gaiety and the pride of belonging. Every song related and relates to their experience as an expression of joy of life in their inner being as though saying: “though we are enslaved on every side yet we are free; we are dehumanized but still alive; exploited but not deprived; knocked down but not knocked out”. Their daily struggle alone made life miserable. Jiving diluted and alleviated their burdens and gave them hope to keep going. It expresses their determination to accomplish their task. The music had its weight in its sad tone that pierced the heart of the listener like that of the “Solitary Reaper”.
Therefore, for record purpose, Kwanzaa has never been and it is still not an African Christmas. Those who are celebrating it should do so on their own account knowing fully well it has an unauthentic origin.
Prince & PA Hamilton Ayuk
5 comments:
African Christmas? There is no Christmas period African or otherwise. People made up "Christmas" with their Christmas theology and Santa Clause. Now Jesus was born on the Day of Atonement which is September 22 on the hebrew calender so why celebrate it on December 25th? Thats like saying my birthday is January 1st but you say okay but I think I'll celebrate it July 4th. I say go ahead, I just won't be there. Guess what? God doesn't show up for Jesus Birthday on December 25th either. His Son wasn't born then, why celebrate? Now you want to talk of Kwanzaa? Yeah, right! For what reason???
Oh, come on you Bloggers! Where are you anyway? Chance of a lifetime here ! I know you don't know what that far out word means - Spurious - but he had to look it up too so show him its just bling okay?
Later..
Oh, I Love this one!!!
Show me your face and I will show you real definitions
Boy are you crabby in your old age darling!
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