UNC Wilmington to Host Community Pre-Kwanzaa Celebration Dec. 5
11/23/2009 4:39:06 PM
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The Upperman African American Cultural Center at the University of North Carolina Wilmington will host its third annual community Pre-Kwanzaa Celebration at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009, in the Warwick Center Ballroom on the UNCW campus. Everyone is invited to experience the traditions, rituals, and symbolism of Kwanzaa. Participants will learn the Nguzo Saba, the seven principles of Kwanzaa, and how each of these aspects plays a role in the development and sustainability of this cultural celebration.
The event is free but the Upperman Center will be collecting canned food and non-perishable items to be donated to the New Hanover County Meals on Wheels program. Donations will be accepted at the door.
Families and children are welcome and encouraged to attend this celebration of life. This year's activities include storytelling by Joyce Grear and performances by the UNCW Voices of Praise Gospel Choir, Soko Drum and Dance Ensemble and Joy Murrell. The event will also include a Table of Harvest, from which all participants will be invited to take a vegetable or fruit of their choice. Corn on the table represents the children of the community.
Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday that celebrates family, community and culture. Celebrated from December 26 through January 1, its origins are in the first harvest celebrations of Africa form which it takes its name. The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase "matunda ya kwanza," which means "first fruits" in Swahili, which is the most widely spoken African language. The holiday, which is cultural and not religious, was created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, professor of Africana Studies at California State University, Long Beach, author and scholar-activist who stresses the need to preserve, continually revitalize and promote African American culture.
Media contact:
Dana Fischetti, media relations manager, 910.962.7259 or fischettid@uncw.edu
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