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.
Palherino sits right above the main docks where ships brought Africans into the country for slavery. The area was given the name Palherino because it was the place where African people were punished. When you walk into Palherino you are greeted by four large Catholic churches that rope off a section of Palherino where a main stage is usually built for free concerts. During the festivities, barbeque pits with seasoned chicken grilling are set up everywhere. And families sell fruit, foods, drinks and beer, all the while dancing to Rhumba or Merengue. Walking through Palherino you will see women of all sizes, shades and colors dressed in big, elaborate head wraps with full white skirts or dresses. This is the traditional Brazilian dress for black women, most of whom earn their living by assisting tourists to restaurants or around Palherino.
On the fourteenth of July, the French Bastille Day, Ms. [Jacqueline Damour] will celebrate her 68th birthday. A vibrantly energetic widow, Jacqueline is proud of her Haitian heritage. She is the mother of six children whos-names are: Ossleine, Vaneek, Judith, Jacqueline, Amsden and James.
The celebration officially started with a combination press conference and job fair at FIU's Biscayne Campus. Co-sponsored by Miami-Dade County and the South Florida Workforce, the FIU event featured a luncheon hosted by Emiline Alexis of the County Mayor's office. The job fair was held in honor of Haitian Labor Day and was held in the lobby and patio of FIU's Wolfe Center. Sunday was an especially busy day with a book reading at the Mapou Bookstore in Little Haiti, a complimentary buffet featuring foods (and music) from all nine of Haiti's Departments (provinces), and an infectious and intoxicating display of Haitian drumming and vocal performances called "Zaka" in the Design Destrict.
Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in 1990. According to the World Factbook, Aruba exports live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment and transport equipment to the Netherlands, Columbia, Panama, the United States, Venezuela and the Netherlands Antilles.
Biographer Delia Jarrett-Macauley stumbled across Marson's name while doing research for another book. The book has been well-received throughout Britain. Copies have sold out during every one of Jarrett-Macauley's book-signings and scheduled talks. "I saw this clipping that said, `Una Marson, the well-known BBC producer is now on holiday in Jamaica.' And I said: `What! You mean we had a black woman producer at the BBC as early as 1945 and we don't know about it.' I decided her story must be known," she said. Marson joined the BBC in 1936 and made an immediate impact, rising rapidly through the ranks. In 1942 she became the West Indies producer and created the Caribbean Voices programme, which won exposure and respectability for Caribbean writers and poets.
Eastern Caribbean nationals will feel at home, as their region's music seems to dominate the lineup. Brother Marvin, Singing Sandra and Crazy are all from T&T. Each offering a different style of delivery, they represent calypso's many flavors. To add to that element, ADLIB Steel Orchestra will add instrumentation to the islands' unique genre. Winners of last year's steel band and calypso competitions at the West Indian-American Day Carnival Association's Labor Day gala on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, the 30-member, 11-year-old group promises youth from 7 years old to deliver the beat. St. Paul's J.O.B. Young Adult Choir represents New York in drama, song and dance. Traditional island-style Christmas carols are promised by Charles Dougherty and Circle of Friends Caribbean ensemble.
Here in Florida, Caribbean people may not celebrate with Junkonoos, but with their cousins the Mocko Jumbies. All over South Florida the Kwuya or stilt dance has become quite popular and includes the participation of children as well. This ritual dance is especially popular among Trinidadians. A newly-formed parang group, the Punto Finale, is testimony to the enduring appeal of Caribbean Christmas celebrations even when one is miles away from home. Led y Ruby Limare, with Dr. Dawn Batson as one of the 12 members, this group has been serenading South Floridians with lively Spanish-style Christmas music that has been part of the season's celebrations in Trinidad for centuries. Kwanzaa, which means first fruits of harvest, is a celebration that many Caribbean people can relate to because of its Afro-Centric base and its focus on family life, self-reliance, and culture. Although Kwanzaa begins the day after Christmas, its celebrations embraces this age-old tradition of Christmas day.
The genesis of these carnivals carries the intent of resisting on some level, by Caribbean migrants, the otherwise alienating conditions of life in migration, to "carnivalise" these landscapes with some of the joy and space commensurate with Caribbean carnival. Indeed, Caribbean intellectual contributions have had successful impact on the development of U.S., European and African thought. Still, the Caribbean in most imaginings, and in particular to those who do not know it well, is the place of "sun and fun," a vacation land devoid of serious engagement with the world. Caribbean carnival then is the climax of all those "sun and fun" constructions. Yet, there is a history and politics to carnival - a "carnival of resistance" beyond the outer face of "carnival of tourism" - that demands exposure.
They continued to avoid the racially-motivated behavior of many in the Cuban population in South Florida. In fact, the Caribbean (black?) organizers of the carnival care so little that they were happily prepared to give away the carnival's culture-driven economic and social enterprise to the Cuban community, even if the Cubans didn't really want anything to do with it, like Jewish Miami Beach and WASP downtown didn't. Does this mean that the huge economic infusion that was offered to other communities for acceptance is going to be realized by the people in Opa-Locka? Because, suddenly, it's as if some people belatedly became a little blacker; after all, they're home, they claim, to Opa-Locka. Yeah, right. The carnival organizers have some cojones, if not much sense of appropriateness. They outdid themselves in their fantasizing (but then, that's carnival). They opted for Hialeah and tried to hitch their wagon to Mayor Penelas' new coattail. Somebody needed to remind them of some of the politics involved. Seems Mayor Alex and Mayor [Raul Martinez] `don't tek tea', as we say in the Caribbean. Probably something to do with Alex backing the candidate who ran against Raul. Next stop, Hialeah City Hall. The rest, they say, is history.
