Karamu (feast)

Karamu: in general, a west African word meaning feast. A Karamu Ya Imani (Feast of Feasts) is a feast that takes place on December 31, the sixth day of the Kwanzaa period. A Kwanzaa ceremony may include drumming and musical selections, libations, a reading of the African Pledge and the Principles of Blackness, reflection on the Pan-African colors, a discussion of the African principle of the day or a chapter in African history, a candle-lighting ritual, artistic performance, and, finally, a feast, a Karamu.

The Karamu feast was developed in Chicago during a 1971 citywide movement of Pan-African organizations. It was proposed by Hannibal Afrik of Shule ya Matoto as a communitywide promotonial and educational campaign. The initial Karamu Ya Imani occurred on January 1, 1973 at a 200-person gathering at the Ridgeland club.[1]

In 1992, the National Black United Front of Chicago held one of the largest Karamu Ya Imani celebrations in the country. It included dancing, a youth ensemble and a keynote speech by NBUF and prominent black nationalist leader Conrad Worrill.[2]

Celebration

References

Footnotes

  1. Mayes, Keith (2006). Peniel Joseph, ed. The Black Power Movement: Rethinking the Civil Rights-Black Power Era. Taylor & Francis Group. pp. 244–245. ISBN 978-0-415-94596-7.
  2. McFarland, Melanie (December 25, 1992). "Kwanzaa Is A Time Of Reflection - Chicago Tribune". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
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