Kwanzaa, an African-American holiday which celebrates family, community, and culture, is the fastest growing holiday in the U.S. An estimated 18 million Africans celebrate KWANZAA each year around the world, including celebrants in the U.S., Africa, the Caribbean, South America, especially Brazil, Canada, India, Britain and numerous European countries. Kwanzaa as an African-American holiday belongs to the most ancient tradition in the world, the African tradition. Drawing from and building on this rich and ancient tradition, Kwanzaa makes its own unique contribution to the enrichment and expansion of African tradition by reaffirming the importance of family, community, and culture. The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa. The central reason Kwanzaa is celebrated for seven days is to pay homage to The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa which in Swahili are: Umoja, Kujichagulia, Ujima, Ujamaa, Nia, Kuumba, and Imani. The principles are also known as The Seven Principles of African American community development and serve as a fundamental value system.
Executive president of Integrare, Maria Hyeronides Barros DeLima, was also present, and represented Brazil as a signatory on the document. She said, "This partnership will allow Brazilian business entrepreneurs to shake hands with Americans who are way ahead and have so much to teach. Brazilians will also have a chance to enter the walls of the corporate world in Brazil and to do business globally. This is a victory for CBCF, Integrare, the Black community and natives and disabled entrepreneurs. It is definitely a global victory!"
Then the charismatic Sundar Popo, who championed "chutney" music, or Indian soca, died of heart failure in May at the age of 57. Sundar Popo is remembered for "Your Mother's Love" and other hits. "People here are very superstitious," said businessman Danny Montano. They conclude "something has swept the country, something is wrong, and that's why so many bad things are happening."
[Weldon J. Rougeau] met with Henrique Ulbrig, president of DuPont do Brazil and chair of the board on Integrare. Ulbrig embraced the idea of a summit to be held in August and indicated that the other board members would embrace the idea as well. Ulbrig talked about the value of the inclusion movement from the view of corporate Brazil. He indicated that the business case argument for inclusion had taken hold in Brazil, as it has here in the U.S. Specifically, Clarence Smith, co-founder of Essence magazine has developed a project to establish an airline between Miami, Fla. and Salvador, Bahia, in the northeast of Brazil. Bahia is the center of African culture in Brazil and a frequent tourist destination for African Americans. Currently, no direct flights occur between the U.S. and this region of Brazil. Smith's theory is that a direct route to the area will exponentially increase the number of African Americans traveling to the area.
