kwanzaa 2015 | Earth & Ether

I am one of those people who truly enjoy supporting my fellow brothers and sisters. If you have a business of any sort, that I can use, I will come. Storefront, or online, in your house, or if you’re a vendor at festivals, I’ll be there. Musically inclined, I’ll be there. Seriously, I wrote a chant called, I’ll Be There! I will continue to come and offer suggestions when necessary, because it’s important to me. More so than the money that I spend, I believe that my time is most valuable, so even, when I come, believe me, I want to support you. study groups, community gatherings, book clubs, bonfires, cookouts- it’s all relevant to who I am, to who we are.

Furthermore, I’ll live amongst my people, and talk to them, and build them up in any way that I can. The peace of a suburb is too easy for me. I don’t desire it, because anywhere I go, my partner and I, and maybe you, we’ll make it work for us. WE MAKE IT WORK!

In 2016 I’ll need that same support, and although I haven’t asked for it before, I’ll ask for it now because I authentically need to feel the love of my people. The reciprocity, the balance is necessary.
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Ujamaa (oo-JAH-mah) Cooperative economics emphasizes our collective economic strength and encourages us to meet common needs through mutual support.

Day 4- Instructions for Kwanzaa: You should greet your friends and family by asking: Habari gani? (Translation: What’s the news?); and today, they can respond: Ujamaa! (Translation: Cooperative Economics) Learn more about Kwanzaa here.

SOME KNOWLEDGE

https://www.youtube.com/user/w4wproductions

SOME MUSIC to SET the MOOD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIjLBK_n-74

KWANZAA DAY 1

KWANZAA DAY 2

KWANZAA DAY 3

Ujima (oo-GEE-mah)

Day 3- Instructions for Kwanzaa: You should greet your friends and family by asking: Habari gani? (Translation: What’s the news?); and today, they can respond: Ujima! (Translation: Collective Work and Responsibility) Learn more about Kwanzaa here.

Tonight, let’s talk about the 3rd Principle of Kwanzaa: Ujima, which means Collective Work & Responsibility.

I had to do it alone,
for a long time,
I had to be this way, but now,
I can call on my partner,
what about you? -Shila

Collective work can look like this: Àṣẹ Dance Theatre Collective

In my travels and experiences, I have witnessed a lot of Us turning against one another, which causes us to break up group efforts. Personal feelings, incest, and dishonesty get in the way of many many good things. How can we begin to change this? I have some ideas, but what do you think?

Unity is strength, division is weakness. ~ Swahili proverb
Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable. ~ Bondei proverb
It takes a village to raise a child. ~ African proverb
Cross the river in a crowd and the crocodile won’t eat you. ~ African proverb
Many hands make light work. ~ Haya (Tanzania) proverb
Where there are many, nothing goes wrong. ~ Swahili proverb
Two ants do not fail to pull one grasshopper. ~ Tanzanian proverb
A single bracelet does not jingle. ~ Congolese proverb
A single stick may smoke, but it will not burn. ~ African proverb
If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. ~ African proverb

I am Shila. Thank you for visiting.