The seventh of the Nguzo Saba or Seven Principles is faith – to believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.
Dr. Maulana Karenga
The sixth of the Nguzo Saba or Seven Principles is creativity – to do as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
Dr. Maulana Karenga
The fifth of the Nguzo Saba or Seven Principles is purpose – to make our collective vocation the building and development of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
Dr. Maulana Karenga
The fourth of the Nguzo Saba or Seven Principles is cooperative economics – to build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.
Dr. Maulana Karenga
The third of the Nguzo Saba or Seven Principles is collective work and responsibility – to build and maintain our community together and make our brother’s and sister’s problems our problems and to solve them together.
Dr. Maulana Karenga
The second of the Nguzo Saba or Seven Principles is self-determination – to define ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.
Dr. Maulana Karenga
Kwanzaa Kinara Display
Kwanzaa December 26 – January 1
Today is the first day of Kwanzaa and is marked by the lighting of the black middle candle on the Kinara. It represents the principle of Umoja – unity. As it says on the official Kwanzaa website, “There is no way to understand and appreciate the meaning and message of Kwanzaa without understanding and appreciating its profound and pervasive concern with values. Kwanzaa inherits this value concern and focus from Kawaida, the African philosophical framework in which it was created Kawaida philosophy is a communitarian African philosophy which is an ongoing synthesis of the best of African thought and practice in constant exchange with the world.”