Habari Gani | Kwanzaa | Umoja

For as long as I can remember on December 26 my mother has pulled out the mkeka (mat), kinara (candle holder) and kikombe cha umoja (unity cup) to decorate our table and herald the beginning of Kwanzaa.

When I was younger, I was quite embarassed by the fact that we celebrated Kwanzaa. It was weird, different and definitely not celebrated by the majority of my friends or their parents. Yet there we six were driving up to Leimert Park in L.A. for the annual Kwanzaa parade and festival, sometimes dressed in African garb, and responding to the greeting of “habari gani?” (what’s the news?) with that day’s corresponding principle.
Above is a fragment of the article, if you want to read it all go to nerdgirlms.wordpress.com/2009/12/10/habari-gani/