Kwanzaa was one of Nana’s passions. He started it in Manchester to demonstrate to the black community ways in which they could find out about their heritage and identity, helping them to connect back to their African culture.
What is Kwanzaa?
Kwanzaa is a week-long celebration of African heritage and is observed from December 26th to January 1st. It has seven core principles (Nguzo Saba) and was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga. It was first celebrated in 1966.
For Nana, Kwanzaa celebrations were far more than a holiday event/entertainment, but provided another avenue for educating the community on many aspects of their African heritage. At Kwanzaa he would emphasise the passing on of information and the community working together. He designed posters for promoting Kwanzaa, many of which he would personally deliver in the community.
Manchester’s Kwanzaa celebrations are one of Nana’s achievements which started off very small and were built up “brick by brick”. It has now become a well known community programme.
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