Kwanzaa’s in the Air

There’s something special on the horizon
about to create colors throughout the skies
It has the power to enlighten darkness
and the strength to brighten even the saddest eyes

Gray clouds make way
for the radiance of it’s might
and the rain settles in the ocean
awaiting the signal for a timing just right

Ancestors will be awakened
and elders will be comforted to know
Even in the midst of chaos
There’s still a certain glow

In the hearts, minds and hands
of those who hold the torches of culture, pride and unity
There’s a spirit in the air
and I can see it in you and me

It looks like determination, purpose and faith
Sounds like we’re ready to cooperate
Tastes like a rich cultural delicacy
and smells like a fragrance only Nature could create

Warm embraces and smiling faces
Healing harambees held hand in hand
Kwanzaa is in the air my friends
and it’s about to land

So, if you didn’t yet know that Kwanzaa is in the air
Now you should be able to notice it everywhere
Everybody get ready to gather near
Come celebrate a beautiful culture…Kwanzaa is in the air!

©DaraMonifah Cooper

http://www.KWANZAA365.com

Many Virgin Islanders join with others in the African diaspora around the world for the week-long celebration of Kwanzaa as a way of “celebrating family, community and culture,” according to the official Kwanzaa Web site “http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org”. According to the site, Kwanzaa is celebrated during this period because its origins are in the first harvest celebrations of Africa from which it takes its name. “Kwanzaa” is derived from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza” which means “first fruits” in Swahili – the most widely spoken African language.

“Based on the Kawaidan philosophy, we can use these seven principles as a guide,” Kuumba Leba Ola-Niyi of the Pan African Support Group on St. Thomas, United Virgin Islands. “Kwanzaa is not a Black Christmas or an alternative to Christmas,” continues Ola-Niyi, “It is a cultural celebration bringing families together.”