Holiday festivities have only just started at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum as the museum begins its week-long celebration of Kwanzaa, reports Pix 11. This year’s 15th annual festival explores the seven principles of Kwanzaa by taking visitors back in time to the 1960s to explore the cultures of the American South and Northeast.
“It’s a celebration that’s honoring families, friends and community through gatherings, music, food is always involved, gift-giving, stated Atiba Edwards, executive vice president at the museum. "And every day over the seven days there’s a principle, and we’re starting off with Umoja, which is unity.”
Kwanzaa is meant to unite cultures throughout different African nations while honoring African American culture. The holiday is a purely cultural celebration meant to form a connection throughout the Black diaspora.
On Monday, this celebration of unity was displayed through jazz music. And throughout the rest of the week, there will be a mixture of dance classes, cooking demos, and live music, among other exciting community programming.
“Sankofa means you have to look back to your past in order to move to your future, so if they know a little bit about their roots, they have a lot more respect for what we’re doing here,” stated Jerome Hunter, artistic director at the LaRocque Bey School of Dance Theatre in Harlem.
People of all backgrounds are welcome to join, the museum will be putting on these events all week. For more information click here.
