Nyumburu hosts 53rd annual Kwanzaa celebration
Students and faculty enjoyed food and entertainment as they celebrated Kwanzaa early at Nyumburu Cultural Center December 4.
Wednesday marked the 53rd anniversary of the annual Kwanzaa celebration at Nyumburu. This year the celebration focused on the seven principles of Kwanzaa: “umoja” which means unity; “kujichagulia” which means self-determination; “ujima” which means collective work and responsibility; “ujamaa” which means cooperative economics; “nia” which means purpose; “kuumba” which means creativity; and “imani” for faith.
“We want people to be able to apply those seven principles to their daily lives for self-development, community growth, and spiritual awareness,” said Nyumburu director Dr. Ronald Zeigler.
Opening ceremonies included the singing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by the students and faculty in attendance, traditional drumming from Brother Joseph Ngwa and the lighting of the Unity Candle.
The Unity Candle represents the seven principles of Kwanzaa with a candle for each principle.
The celebration continued with a message about the history of Kwanzaa from Brandon Dula.
Dula is the assistant director for the Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy organization, MICA, and his message to the audience was centered around the importance of the history of black communities and learning from the experiences people share.
“For a lot of folks this is like a workshop for them, but if you talk to your grandmother, it’s an experience she actually had,” Dula said.
“She can tell you stuff that other people can’t, and you need to learn from that experience,” he added.
For students Keith Livingston and Demi-Youmé Diallo, this year’s celebration was their first experience of Kwanzaa.
Livingston, a junior finance and management major, said he was asked to help host the celebration and accepted the offer to learn more about Kwanzaa.
“I always wanted to experience Kwanzaa, but I didn’t know how,” he said.
“I think this is very good for the Black community, it gives them something to hold onto and it is definitely needed during the holidays,” said Diallo, who is a sophomore international relations major at the university.
Livingston also joined Zeigler in honoring some students and faculty that have been a great help on campus and in the community.
UMD alumnus Trey Huff has been to the last four Nyumburu Kwanzaa celebrations and said it’s a yearly event he always tries to keep on his radar.
“Every once in a while, people can forget about culture, and this celebration is a great way to reconnect,” Huff said.
The celebration was concluded with musical performances by the Three Shades band as attendees enjoyed dinner provided by Nyumburu staff.
Zeigler said he hopes people don’t view Kwanzaa as an outdated concept or belief because it helps grounds people and its principles can help people shift away from materialism.
He encourages people to start by picking one principle that sticks out to them and trying to make it apart of their life.
This story has been updated.