to reinforce . It was used at first as a recovery and reconstruction of African culture during the Black Liberation Movement in the 1960 ' s . The seven communitarian African values , which are Swahili were used as the universal dialect of Kwanzaa .
The Truth About Kwanzaa Dominique D . Barrs Jacksonville , Florida December 2014
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As I kept reading the article , the author notes that while human dignity is celebrated during Kwanzaa , the " stillcommon practices as female circumcision and polygamy ," still occur in Africa . " They even appropriated the term " ujima ," which Julius Nyrere cited when he uprooted tens of thousands of Tanzanians and shipped them forcibly to collective farms , where they proved more adept at cultivating misery than banishing hunger ," the author continues . These are notably key points of cultural differences upon different tribes in Africa and African American culture . Thank you . However , in this case , is the part bigger than the whole ?
The reference to com as being a Kwanzaa symbol , was also critiqued . " Com isn ' t indigenous to Africa . Mexican Indians developed it , and the crop was carried worldwide by white colonialists ." Why make this frivolous point ? Nothing on Dr . Karenga ' s website discussed his reasons for the use of com as a symbol , only what the com is to represent . If I had to defend why this is , with a simple Yahoo ! Search of , " Com grown in Africa ," it clearly pops up that South Africa is the tenth largest producer of corn worldwide . Despite , who invented it , corn is grown everywhere and is eaten by all walks of life .
Although he pointed out the harsh but true facts that Africa remains stubbornly tribal , this is even more reason to have a tradition that uplifts the potential of a better day . His statement of , " Kwanzaa is the ultimate chump holiday - Jim Crow with a false and festive wardrobe . It praises practices - " cooperative economics , and collective work and responsibility " - that have succeeded nowhere on earth and would mire American blacks in endless backwardness ," means nothing . How often are people so quick to criticize , when not that long ago , their own people were going through a struggle ? Every demographic needs unifying .
So what TRUTH about Kwanzaa is he speaking of ? Oh , HIS truth . Written 12 years ago , this article is still available online , giving out false facts to HIS followers . This article is a prime example on why OUR truth needs to be properly carried on . Whether you celebrate Kwanzaa or not , the principles of restoring and spreading OUR values , is needed in the African and African American community . Let us not let HIS truth ever become a reality out of lack of knowledge on traditions that have been made for OUR people . Let us continue to uplift OURselves , because you can believe that no one else will .