A young poet with reflections on being Black
Jaku Konbit’s Kwanzaa Celebration in the Capital
by Olivia Barrett
Saturday 30 December 2023
Love and community were at the core of Jaku Konbit’s Kwanzaa celebration on the fifth day of the celebration honouring the value of Nia, meaning purpose. The event at the Mosaic Convention Centre on December 30 featured a variety of cultural performances from singing to drumming to showcase African and Caribbean culture to affirm the seven values of Kwanzaa: unity (Umoja), self-determination (Kujichagulia), collective work and responsibility (Ujima), cooperative economics (Ujamaa), purpose (Nia), creativity (Kuumba) and faith (Imani). These values are essential to the celebration’s focus on fostering a sense of community among all ages in the Black community.
Symbolic lighting of candles
“These principles are not just an abstract concept, they are a way of life,” said Jaku Konbit’s president, Ken Campbell. He added, “Kwanzaa is not just a celebration. It’s a reaffirmation of our roots and values that bind us together as a people and as community,” to stress the importance of this festival.
Throughout the celebration, other community leaders spoke about the importance of this Kwanzaa being at the end of the United Nations’ International Decade for People of African Descent.
Councillor Rawlson King was one of the community leaders who echoed Campbell’s sentiments. He said, “this vibrant and meaningful celebration holds a special place in our hearts, honoring the values that guide us and the resilience that defines us as community.” This focus on community was prominent as many speakers emphasized the importance of sharing these values with younger generations to keep them alive and well, as demonstrated by the poems by two young children about inspiring and loving yourself.
During her keynote speech, the Honourable Jean Augustine, the first Black-Canadian woman to become a member of Parliament, spoke about the work the community needs to do to overcome intergenerational trauma. While speaking about this, she said, “but I am always very happy to see the parents and their children participating together. Having the children learn about the past.” This importance on the role of teaching and passing this knowledge onto younger generations was a crucial part of the event as it preserves these traditions and stories.
Augustine also noted the impressiveness of the attendance at the festival. “I think we’re going far Mr. Campbell because we are taking all these people with us,” Augustine said, emphasizing how full the room was. Augustine added that she thinks the Jaku Konbit Kwanzaa celebration may be the largest gathering for the festival in all of Ontario, and even all of Canada.
She discussed the importance of honouring the progress the Black community has made and everything they have overcome. “In Canada, for over 400 years, the black experience has involved oppression, resistance and perseverance. It also includes resilience,” Augustine said.
Following her speech, the crowd was treated to the candle-lighting ceremony. During each day of the festival, one of the seven candles is lit based on its corresponding value. The candles are lit in the same order as the days: unity on Dec. 26, self-determination on Dec. 27, collective work and responsibility on Dec. 28, cooperative economics on Dec. 29, purpose on Dec. 30, creativity on Dec. 31 and faith on Jan. 1. The candle-lighting is a significant part of the Kwanzaa celebration as it is used to ignite daily conversations about the core values to celebrate African-American culture and foster the sense of community.
Throughout the celebration, the audience was treated to a slew of performers. These included Haitian singer Samantha Christ Francois accompanied by Caylan Penny on the piano, Carleton University student and poet Marion Odumu, poet Mohamed Saidu Jalloh and Ottawa-based singer and songwriter Andrae Duhaney. Additionally, the Samilelah group performed a dance for the audience, showcasing the youth in the group. To close the event, Remesha Drums brought the crowd to their feet with their captivating drumming and singing.
All of these performances showcased the beauty and diversity of African, Caribbean and Black culture across the city of Ottawa. This multitude of performers and the inspiring speeches by community leaders conveyed the values of Kwanzaa on its 30th anniversary of being celebrated in Canada.
