The third day of Kwanza is called in Swahili Ujima and it means (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers’ and sisters’ problems our problems, and to solve them together. This comes right after Umoja (Unity) the first day and Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) on the second day.
Did you know the holiday has also spread to Canada, and is celebrated by Black Canadians in a similar fashion as in the United States, and has also gained popularity in France, Great Britain, Jamaica and Brazil.
The one book that comes to mind that celebrates Ujima is a book I started at awhile ago but never finished until last week. Little Bee by Chris Cleave is a book that embodies the principle of making someone else’s problems your own. But you won’t know this until you get to the end of the book.
It is a truly special story and we don’t want to spoil it.
Nevertheless, you need to know something, so we will just say this:
It is extremely funny, but the African beach scene is horrific.
The story starts there, but the book doesn’t.
And it’s what happens afterward that is most important.
Once you have read it, you’ll want to tell everyone about it. When you do, please don’t tell them what happens either. The magic is in how it unfolds.
What book have you read that celebrates “building and maintain our community together and make our brothers’ and sisters’ problems our problems, and to solve them together”?
Happy Kwanzaa!
Mocha Girl Alysia
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