“We write because we believe the Human Spirit cannot be tamed and should not be trained.” -Nikki Giovanni
Kwanzaa was created and born in the womb, work and transformative struggles of the Black Freedom Movement. Dr. Maulana Karenga, founder of Kwanzaa says. Kwanzaa was also shaped by a defining decade of fierce struggles for freedom and justice waged by Africans and other people of color all over the world. 2024 marks the 58th annual celebration of Kwanzaa, the theme is “Celebrating Kwanzaa in Difficult and Demanding Times, Lifting Up the Light that Lasts.”
Fahima Seck, co-/producer and host of WPFW’s What’s at Stake and straight out of Compton organizer and longtime community activist on the West Coast, Ms. Mollie Bell share the history of Kwanzaa.
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Bookeem Nyere, founder of NAKO, National Association of Kawaida Organizations discusses the The Nguzo Saba, or the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa and the history of Kawaida. Dr. Karenga says, “Kawaida strives to bring forth the the best of African sensibilities, thought and practice.”
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Kwanzaa is an international Pan African celebration of family, community and culture. Dr. Maulana Karenga, founder of Kwanzaa says, “Kwanzaa brings a cultural message which speaks to the best of what it means to be African and human in the fullest sense.”
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The people’s poet, activist, writer, and professor Nikki Giovanni transitioned on December 9, 2024 in Blacksburg, VA. Nikki was born on June 7, 1943 in Knoxville, TN. She was one of the many leading voices of the Black Arts Movement and has written over a dozen books of poetry, as well as short stories, critical essays, and children’s books. She was selected as one of Oprah’s 25 Living Legends in 2005 and was a member of the Wintergreen Writer’s Collective. Nikki Giovanni was 81 years young when she transitioned.
We share a conversation between WPFW’s veteran journalist Verna Avery-Brown and Nikki Giovanni.
Credits:
Akua Holt – host/producer, with contributions by Fahima Seck, Steve Seltzer, and Verna Avery-Brown
Akua Holt and Polina Vasiliev – editors
Social Media: Follow us on X, formerly Twitter, @PacificaCRD.
Music Playlist:
Black Violins
Tis Kwanzaa (feat. Pierce Freelon) | Happy Kwanzaa Song for Kids and Families
Babatunde Olatunji and Drums of Passions, Incantations
“The Kwanzaa Song” by William Scott a.k.a. Djoser Pharaoh
