Ujima - Collective work and responsibility

Heri za Kwanzaa!

Kwanzaa is a time for spiritual reflection, a festive and joyous holiday...a cultural celebration. Kwanzaa has no ties to a particular religion. It is practiced by African people of all faiths, who come together based on their rich, ancient and varied common African heritage. Today, the seven-day observance of the Kwanzaa holiday is celebrated by millions of African-Americans and Africans around the world.

Habari gani?  Ujima 

(Collective work and responsibility)

"To build and maintain our community together and to make our brother's and sister's problems, our problems and to solve them together."

Ujima, as principle and practice, means that we accept the fact that we are collectively responsible for our failures and setbacks as well as our victories and achievements. And this holds true not only on the national level, but also on the level of family and organization or smaller units. Such a commitment implies and encourages a vigorous capacity for self-criticism and self-correction which is indispensable to our strength, defense and development as a people.

SOURCE: "The African American Holiday of Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family Community & Culture"

by Maulana Karenga, University of Sankore Press, Los Angeles, California, 1988, ISBN 0-943412-09-9

Debi Mason, Teller
Oby House Projects - Spoken Word Ministries

Storyin' With Auntie D - National Association of Black Storytellers

(510) 830-6312 cell

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Debi Mason, author

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What I Thought Was So Just Ain't - Available now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble