KWANZAA

Kwanzaa
December 30, 2008
Celebrate Kwanzaa with the National Park Service

Kwanzaa is a week long African American holiday observed from
December 26 through January 1. The name Kwanzaa is derived from the
phrase, “matunda ya kwana” which means, “first fruits” in Swahili. The
African Burial Ground National Monument will celebrate the fifth
principle of Kwanzaa which is Nia (Purpose).


Daytime Workshops:


“Uncovering the Story of the African Burial Ground through
Archeology” is designed to help students learn more about archeology
by examining replica artifacts from the African Burial Ground. This
workshop is being offered at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm.


A Kuba cloth workshop will be given by Vickie Frémont. She will talk
to participants about the art of African cloth and give participants the
opportunity to create their own piece of Kuba cloth. This workshop is
being offered at 10:00 am and 1:00 pm.


Wilkes University professor Rashidah Ismaili AbuBakr will present a
writing workshop that encourages each family or participant to
document recollections of family history, places, and things in their lives
that have shaped who and what they are. All participants are asked to
bring photographs and small important objects such as jewelry or cloth
to weave into your story. These stories and memoirs will be written with
the hope that participants will continue to tell their families’ stories.
This workshop is being offered at 10:00 am and 1:00 pm.


An African dance and drumming workshop is being conducted by
Khadyjah Alleyne, a native New Yorker trained in Senegal and Guinea
and the only African American Master Drummer in the group
Amazones, an all female drumming company. In this workshop,
participants will learn about drumming rhythms and traditional African
dance. This workshop will be offered at 2:30 pm.


Evening Performance:


Lonnie Youngblood and the Blood Brothers Band as well as Lady
Cantrese and Friends will take the audience on a musical journey.
This evening’s program will provide a brief glimpse into a rich musical
tradition. T. Rasul Murray will read excerpts from his poem The
Procession  which uses the celebration of the return of the ancestral
remains from Howard University in 2003 as a lens to view the lives of
Africans who lived when the burial ground was in use from the 1690s
until 1794. The evening performance is free, however reservations are
required. This program begins at 7:00 pm.


African Burial Ground National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
National Monument
New York

Plan Your Visit:

African Burial Ground National Monument
Visitor Center is open Monday through Friday,
9 am to 5 pm and closed all Federal holidays.
The memorial is open 7 days a week, 9
am to 5 pm and closed on New Year’s Day,
Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

The celebration will take place at the African
Burial Ground National Monument, located
on the first floor of the Ted Weiss Federal
Building at 290 Broadway in Lower Manhattan,
close to Foley Square and just north of
City Hall. All workshops and performances
will focus on celebrating family, community,
and culture. Daytime and evening festivities
are free, however space is limited and reservations
are required by December 27.

For more information or to RSVP: Please
call (212) 637-1995 or visit us on the Web at
www.nps.gov/afbg.
All events are FREE!