"Habari gani!"
It's the official welcome greeting of Kwanzaa, and that's exactly what Makuu's Kwanzaa Committee did Monday night -- they welcomed over 50 members of the Penn community to a feast of fried chicken and Yemisir Alitcha and traditional Kwanzaa celebration.
Kwanzaa, an African-American and Pan-African holiday, is traditionally celebrated from Dec. 26 through Jan. 1. During these days, families are reminded of the seven principles of Kwanzaa, focusing on African community, unity and identity.
Penn's Kwanzaa celebration opened with vibrant speaker Kamau McRae's libations, as he requested the presence of African ancestors. McRae, a member of Makuu, described the role of African ancestors in molding the existence of black culture today.
"They have made a path so we can follow their footprints," McRae said.
Scattered voices from within the audience replied, naming several black leaders, authors and activists.
Afi Roberson of the African-American Resource Center took the podium next, overseeing the ceremonial table setting of Kwanzaa.
Following, seven students acted in the role of celebrants. Each cited one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa, describing its role in the lives of black Americans.
College junior Kamaria Shauri spoke about the fifth principle, known as Nia or as she described, "the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness."
Shauri further emphasized, "without community, we still have nothing."
The ceremony concluded with Jasmine Oglesby reiterating the purpose in celebrating Kwanzaa.
Oglesby, a third-year student in the School of Social Work and organizer of the event, reminded her peers that the annual celebration indicates the basic causes African Americans should pursue in daily life.
First-time Kwanzaa participant Rochelle Little, a second-year student in the School of Social Work and one of 50 community members who gathered in celebration, said she attended the event to further her understanding of the holiday
"The ceremony was well organized and very informative," Little said. "I think I would like to celebrate it with my children and incorporate my faith" into the celebration of Kwanzaa.
Although many attendees enjoyed the presentations, future commitment to celebrate the holiday varied.
College freshman Amma Asare expressed a positive reaction to the event, but said she does not plan to celebrate Kwanzaa again.
"Being a very recent creation, [Kwanzaa] has not reached a point where I feel a strong personal motivation to celebrate it," Asare explained.
The event, which took place in the ARCH building, was rescheduled from its original date of last Thursday.
