Call: Habari Gani?! (What's going on?)
Response: Kuumba! [koo-oom-bah]
See my previous article about Kwanzaa for an explanation of the call and response.
Today is the sixth day of the Kwanzaa celebration, and it is focused on creativity.
In our kinaras, we light the middle, black candle, the red candle that sits next to the black candle on the left, the green candle that sits next to the black candle on the right, the red candle that sits in the middle of all three red candles, the green candle that sits in the middle of all three green candles and the outer-most red candle.
According to the Nguzo Saba, as written by Maulana Karenga, creativity means:
to do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it
Since the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa should be implemented all year long, let’s talk about how to make that happen.
Think of your favorite television shows and/or movies. Now search your mental Rolodex and name at least three characters who sit and “veg” out in front of the television.
I mean, honestly, would you sit and watch a show where James Bond or Blade or Spider-Man or Black Panther just sat around watching television and/or playing video games?
More often than not, in shows where the characters sit and play video games all day and night they are portrayed as less than inspiring individuals.
One major way we can implement the principle of creativity is to snatch our children's attention away from the television, phone/tablet and video games!
Instead of allowing our children to watch other people live life, let's equip our children with the tools they'll need to create productive lives for themselves and their children; something life-affirming that they'll be able to pass down for generations.
Encourage our children to draw. Who knows? You may have the next Jacob Lawrence or Jean-Michel Basquiat sitting in your living room.
Encourage our children to learn a musical instrument. Who knows? The next Miles Davis or Lizzo may be eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at your kitchen table.
Encourage your children to read and write book reports about what they've learned. Who knows. Oprah Winfrey's unwitting replacement may be combing a black Barbie doll's hair with her friends at a sleepover.
Television, phone/tablet time and/or video games in moderation aren't bad things, but teaching our children to be creative, to learn the things at which they excel, means our children could be creating hit television shows/movies and amazing video games instead of paying hundreds of dollars to other people who aren't vegging out in front of devices but using their creative talents to leave a legacy for their own children.
Let's teach black children to be creators and not just consumers.
Happy Kwanzaa!
