Kwanzaa 2 (Swahili for “First Fruits”)

   So, what is the celebration of Kwanzaa? Using its founder Maulana Ron Karenga's own words: “For it is out of Kawaida philosophy that Kwanzaa and the Nguzo Saba were conceived and thru which they are continually renewed, enriched and expanded.” Here Don’t worry if you don’t completely understand, because there is much circular reasoning and contradiction involved in Karenga’s philosophy.
   What is Kawaida? Kawaida is Swahili for “Common”. What is ‘Nguzo Saba’? It is Swahili for ‘seven pillars’ or as Maulana Karenga calls it, “The Seven Principles”: umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), ujima (collective work and responsibility), ujamma (cooperative economics), nia (purpose), kuumba (creativity), imani (faith).
   As you read the seven principles, I'm certain your initial response is probably that they all sound really good, right?  I mean, how can there be anything wrong with these powerful words? On the contrary, THE initial reading of these principles is THE primary factor contributing to THE acceptance of Kwanzaa by both Black and White people—which is why a closer look is necessary.
  To begin, we must understand the principle of: ‘return to the origin’. This means if you want to fully understand something, return to its’ origin.  In Matthew 19, when the Pharisees asked Jesus about divorce, he said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female”. In other words, if we want an answer to our questions about Kwanzaa, we must return to its beginning.  
   In the case of ‘The Seven Principles’ their origin is complex. In short, the 1960s’ and early 70’s saw the rise and heavy influence of the Black Liberation Army(movement), i.e.Black Panthers, United Slaves, Black Muslims, etc. One of the branch-off organizations was the Symbionese Liberation Army, which was a small group of around 10-15 Black and White ‘soldiers’.*  The word ‘symbioese’ is a word invented from the word ‘symbiosis’, which in biology means two dissimilar organisms living off one another or parasitism (Dictionary.com).   The symbiosis of the ‘Symbionese Liberation Army’ was a few Whites, and primarily one Black named Donald Defreeze**. This was an unusual relationship at that time among the Black Liberation movement because they preached hatred of Whites.  Like Karenga, DeFreeze changed his name. He took on the name ‘Cinque’ from Joseph Cinque, a West African who was taken from the Spanish slave ship during the ‘Amistad rebellion’ in 1839. Interestingly, DeFreeze added the Swahili name Mtume, which means prophet: Cinque Mtume, or Cinque, the prophet.   What does DeFreeze have to do with the Seven Principles? Everything! The seven principles of Kwanzaa are verbatim with the same seven principles of the Symbionese Liberation Army!!! The question is how did this happen? As of this writing, I cannot prove Karenga took his seven principles from DeFreeze’s organization.  However, I highly suspect that he did because of Karenga’s poor character as I revealed in part 1 of this series. If Karenga could torture Black women---of which to this day he denies, it is hard to believe he would not stoop to plagiarism! Of course, there will be those who disagree, arguing that DeFreeze copied Karenga because Karenga created Kwanzaa in 1966. In reality however, it really makes no difference ‘who plagiarized  who’ because some of the seven principles have deeper meanings than what appears in their initial reading. In other words, the literal meaning of at least a couple of the words can only be understood in the Swahili language.
   For example, Karenga says the principle ‘Ujamaa’ means ‘cooperative economics’. The first thing that came to my mind after reading this principle was: i.money (economics); and ii. cooperating together to make money! Well, certainly nothing is wrong with that! Actually, God has called humans to these very two points, see Gen1:28; Eccl5:19; Ps128:2. However, if you google the translation of ‘Ujamaa’ from Swahili to English two things popup: 1.“Believe in Socialism” or 2.“Socialism”.   Here, Here, Here are THREE different google links to translations of the word Ujamaa to ‘FACT CHECK’ me! 
      The shock of this quickly fades however, when we recall that Black nationalism, especially of the 1960’s rejected free markets(capitalism). Communism heavily infiltrated the Black nationalist thinking beginning in the 1950’s (see ‘Color, Communism, and Common Sense’ by Manning Johnson).  For example, the Black Panthers were Communists!! Remember, Communism/Socialism/Fascism is the economic system of the religion of atheism!! I repeat, because ‘theology drives philosophy’ or ‘theology creates philosophy’, the religion of atheism is the driving force behind the philosophy of Communism/Socialism/Fascism.  Remember, Colossians 2:8 in part 1 of this series!!!    Moving forward, of course the principle “Ujamaa” is supported by the principle “Ujima” which Karenga says means “collective work and responsibility”. The term ‘Collective Work’ is Communism…plain and simple! These two principles--at least--make Communism a large contributing factor to Nguzo Saba (seven principles).
   Let’s look at another principle: “Imani”, which Karenga says means “Faith”. In Arabic the same word “Imani” means “My faith”. First, what is often true when cultures and their languages meet together is that entire words from one language are adopted into the other. What is probably true is that “Imani” was incorporated into Swahili from Arabic because of the trans-Arabian slave trade that dominated East Africa. If that is true, because the Swahili men-stealers were Muslims, the ‘faith’ of the principle of “Imani” probably refers to “faith” in Allah, the Islamic god!
   Second, what is absolutely true however, is that the fundamental question regarding the principle of ‘Imani’ is: “faith” in what? The word “faith” is normally a spiritual word taken from “Faith in God” (Mk11:22). However, we learned last week that Maulana Karenga hated Jesus***! His hatred for Jesus is also confirmed by the color red in the Kwanzaa flag and candles, which refers to the blood that was shed for Black people to be redeemed. On the contrary, this is blasphemy!! Only the blood of Jesus can redeem humanity! NO! The blood of past or present Blacks cannot redeem Black people!! 
   Furthermore, Maulana Karenga taught, “Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday not a religious one” Here  So, because Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday, what then does Maulana Karenga teach that we should have faith in, or for? On the contrary, because of Karenga’s sin (Jn1:4,9; Ps36:9) he cannot understand spiritual things (Lu11:35,36), such as ‘faith in God’, therefore one can only speculate, i.e.invent, what he believes we should have ‘faith’ in. However, for the Christian who celebrates Kwanzaa, he/she has an absolutely unresolvable problem! Why? Because he/she cannot bring Christianity into Kwanzaa because as I just revealed Karenga hated Jesus, “calling Christianity a “White religion”***. 
   Yet, the designation of Christianity as a “White religion” simply defies logic, highlighting the hypocrisy, and the many contradictions in Maulana Karenga’s thinking, who declared: “Kwanzaa brings a cultural message which speaks to the best of what it means to be both African and human…”   Here
   What?!?! Really…Maulana Karenga?!!? First you call Christianity a “White religion”; and then you declare that Kwanzaa is “the best of what it means to be …African”? Wow, this logic has serious problems! Why? How can Christianity be a “White religion” when the majority of Black Africa is Christian!!
   And what’s more, the Christianity of Africa is not a recent development because Christianity was in Africa before Europe! Confirming this is the fact that the apostle Thomas had much success in taking the gospel to Africa just after Pentecost in 33AD: which is 2,000 years ago!!!
   And again, Islam performed Jihad in Africa after the death of Muhammad in 632AD turning much of Northern Africa to Islam by force---which is an ‘enemy attestation’! What is that? An ‘enemy attestation' means because Muhammad--who is an enemy of Christianity--performed Jihad in northern Africa converting many to Islam after 632AD is perfect evidence that Northern Africa was NOT Islamic before the Jihad! Well, what religion dominated Northern Africa prior to Islam’s Jihad? Christianity!!! In other words, Christianity was in Africa 600 years prior to Muhammad!
 
Stay tuned for part 3
 
*The Symbionese Liberation Army gained national attention in 1974 with the kidnapping of Patty Hearst, the granddaughter of American publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst.
​*Others believe SLA was created by a White man named Willie Wolfe and a White woman named Patricia Soltysik. Regardless, the Black man DeFreeze was the leader.
***“Christianity is a White religion. It has a White God, and any Negro who believes in it is a sick Negro. How can you pray to a White man? If you believe in him, no wonder you catch so much hell.”