ReAfrikanizing Kwanzaa “It is time for us to take a stand. It is time that we make our strongest statement about what Kwanzaa must mean to us if it is to serve us in our fight to be Afrikan. Our statement must clearly and uncompromisingly indicate how important this celebration is to those of us who want nothing less than to demonstrate the utmost respect for our Ancestors and uncontaminated Afrikan traditions by following their examples. With this choice comes the responsibility of serving Afrikan interests first. It requires that we stop celebrating Kwanzaa apologetically. This means we have to put an end to our elaborate, intellectualized shows to de-emphasize Kwanzaa’s vital significance to our ReAfrikanization. Sadly, we only put on this pretense so that others, who have never made us comfortable or who are only comfortable when their owners are comfortable, will not feel that what we create is in competition with their racist celebrations of white supremacy. We need explain our celebration to no one in order to rationalize its existence. Those in our community who do not want to celebrate anything Afrikan, except if it comes whitewashed through european approval, need not participate. That is their right and, in fact, their duty as willing slaves to european culture. But do not let the rhetoric that will attend our choice distract us. This stand is not divisive. It is logically grounded in the ourstorical understanding that those who do not embrace being Afrikan are determined to pull us toward their european center and away from all in us that is Afrikan. Whether we like it or not, we have to come to grips with the fact that our people’s mentacide is deep, deeper than most of us dare believe. Therefore, some Afrikans will never rise above their loathing self-hatred. Not surprisingly, now that Europeans have finally given their stamp of approval to our Kwanzaa celebration, we are witnessing what is to be expected of negroes and so many lost souls – a vigorous campaign to turn this timeless, sacred ritual into a vulgar, commercialized orgy in service to european capitalism (making it nothing more than an extension of the perverted and meaningless season of wasteful consumption already spanning from thankstaking to christmas). We see the anti-Afrikan intent of subintegrationists as they consciously ignore John Henrick Clarke’s ourstorically grounded cautions against us allowing others to sit at the table of yet another of our family activities. Accordingly, these culturally misoriented individuals pretend not to be aware of Amos N. Wilson’s wise observation that if another people, especially those whose ill-gotten privilege depends on your continued oppression by them, are also celebrating your efforts toward a self-defining empowerment, then what you are actually doing must, in some way, be furthering your oppression by them. Our stand to revitalize and ReAfrikanize Kwanzaa calls for us to individually and collectively set examples of humanistic perfection for each other. This initiative cannot be about us working to turn others into some perfect model that we follow. It must be about us being the best of our Ancestors and not cheap imitations of them and what they stood for. The Kwanzaa celebration was designed for us to take ample time to reflect on and reaffirm the traditions and way of our people in us. And it is the intensity of that reflection and reaffirmation which mark the significance of this season for us. For the principles upon which it is built are not to be limited to it and, therefore, easily diverted into another’s way by conspicuous consumption or misguided loyalties based on an undying love of whiteness and a childish but perfect forgiveness and forgetfulness. The spirit of Kwanzaa must be found living in our hearts and minds and must daily manifest itself in our devotion to each other forever.” Mwalimu K. Bomani Baruti
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 11:21:46 +0000
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