Utatu Collective Celebrating African Tradition

Utatu is a chartered club at Northeastern Illinois University on the CCICS satellite cam- pus located on the South Side in the Bronzeville community. Utatu is dedicated to providing an African consciousness to the CCICS campus student life through workshops and student activities. Utatu held their second annual free Kwanzaa celebration on Dec. 9, 2011. This event took place at the CCICS campus where many students and people from the community participated in the ceremony.

Kwanzaa was founded in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, a professor of African Studies at California State University. The origin of the name Kwanzaa was derived from the phrase "matunda ya kwanza" which means "first fruit" in Swahili. Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday for African Americans and the Pan African movement. The purpose of Kwanzaa is to reaffirm the traditional African family, community and cultural values that were lost as a result of the forced displacement and dissociation during the American slavery years and beyond. There are seven principles of Kwanzaa: Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity) and Imani (faith).

The celebration of Kwanzaa is from Dec. 26 thru Jan. 1 after the Christmas holiday. Though it has passed, the values it teaches are some we can respect and use throughout the whole year, regardless of ethnicity or background.

Utatu's pre-Kwanzaa gala included performances by the Najwa Dance Company, Afro-Soul music by Ugochi and the Kwanzaa Ensemble. A vegetarian buffet was served and the crowd was filled with the spirits of African ancestry. Hopefully, Utatu will continue to ex- press and celebrate African American culture with the CCICS campus.