Time for Kwanzaa celebrations across Charlotte

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Charlotte's annual Kwanzaa celebrations will be held at Greenville Memorial AME Zion Church and Movement School Freedom Elementary Campus Dec. 26-Jan. 1

Kwanzaa season is almost here.

Kwanzaa Charlotte will host daily in-person programming with historical, cultural and educational programs with artistic expressions of drumming, dance and spoken word. Daily celebrations will be held 7-8:30 p.m., Dec. 26-Jan. 1 at Greenville Memorial AME Zion Church, 6116 Montieth Drive. Other celebrations from Dec. 27-31 will be held at Movement School Freedom Elementary Campus, 2701 Freedom Drive.

All events are free and open to the public.

An African Marketplace will precede and close celebrations from 6-7 p.m. and 8:30-9:30 p.m. Dec. 26-31.

Kwanzaa is an African American celebration of family, community, and culture. Founded in 1966 by Maulana Karenga in California, the pan-African observance includes a weeklong series of events are non-heroic and non-religious commemorations celebrated across the diaspora.

“Kwanzaa brings a cultural message, which is both particularly African and definitively human,” Karenga said.

Kwanzaa is based on African “first fruits” harvest celebrations, which were “ingathering of the people, reverence for the Creator, commemoration of the past and a recommitment to our highest cultural ideals.” The Kiswahili language is used to express the Nguzo Saba (Seven Principles), which as Karenga said, “have a universal value in their call for thoughtful and practical applications 365 days of the year.”

Kwanzaa celebration dates, times and Nguzo Saba principles (in parentheses). All programs are at Movement School, 2701 Freedom Drive.

Dec. 26 Umoja (Unity)

6 p.m. – African Marketplace

7-8:30 p.m. Kwanzaa program

8:30-9:15 p.m. African Marketplace  

Dec. 27 Kujichagulia (Self–determination)

6 p.m. – African Marketplace

7-8:30 p.m. Kwanzaa program

8:3-9:15 p.m. African Marketplace  

Dec. 28 Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility)

6 p.m. – African Marketplace

7-8:30 p.m. Kwanzaa program

8:30-9:15 p.m. African Marketplace  

Dec. 29 Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)

6 p.m. – African Marketplace

7-8:30 p.m. Kwanzaa program

8:30-9:15 p.m. African Marketplace  

Dec. 30 Nia (Purpose)

6 p.m. – African Marketplace

7-8:30 p.m. Kwanzaa program

8:30-9:15 p.m. African Marketplace

Dec. 31 Kuumba (Creativity)

6 p.m. – African Marketplace

7-8:30 p.m. Kwanzaa program

8:30-9:15 p.m. African Marketplace  

Jan. 1 Imani (Faith)

7-8:30 p.m. Kwanzaa program

Day of reflection and contemplation 

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