Ilotshwe nguMaidei Magirosa yatolikelwa nguPatience Rusare
IKWANZAA ngumthimba wabensundu abeseMelika lakwamanye amazwe abephetsheya onanzwa mhlaka Mpalakazi 26 kusiya kuZibandlela 1.
Umthimba lo wasungulwa ngu Dr Maulana Karenga ngo 1966, ngesikhathi engumgcinisihlalo sogatsha lwezifundo zabensundu eNyuvesithi yeCalifornia eLong Beach.
Ngesikhathi leso abensundu beMelika babelangazela ukuthakazelela amasiko kanye lenkolo zabo lokuzikhululela kwabelungu.
Abensundu ababengahlali eAfrica babefuqwa ngumumo ukuthi bathakazelele imithimba yabelungu eyayisekethisa ubuntu babensundu njalo ingananzi ukuthi kungakabi lenkolo yesikristu sasilemithimba yenkolo zethu.
Omazinkolo babeyibiza ngokuthi ngunthinba wabahedeni.
Umthimba weKwanzaa wawusenza abensundu abaphetsheya bethakazelele ikhefu leKhisimusi langelomnyaka omutsha ngedlela yesiAfrica etshiyane leyenkolo yesikristu.
Umthimba weKwanzaa wathathelwa kumthimba wabensundu owokuthakazelela ukuvunwa kwezithelo zakuqala.
Ukuthi Kwanzaa kungimhlobo wesiSwahili okhomba ukuthi izithelo zakuqala ezibuthaniswa ngesikhathi sokuvuna.
Esungula umthimba weKwanzaa, u Karenga wayejonge ukuthaza ubuntu kwabensundu abaseMelika.
Wayengomunye wabakhokheli benhlanganiso yeBlack Power Movement kubo 1960 njalo wasungula eyinye inhlanganiso eyayibizwa ngokuthi US kusitsho “Us Black People” (thina abensundu).
UKarenga wancedisa njalo ukusungulwa kwe nhlanganiso ebizwa ngokuthi Association for the Study of Classical African Civilisation, eyayizimisele ekusabalalisa ulwazi lokuphucuka kwabensundu.
UKarenga wayephikisana lamasiko kanye lezimiso zabantu beMelika kunkolo yesikristu, ubandlululo kanye lokungalingani kwabantu.
Wayephikisana lemifanenkiso kaJesu engumlungu kanye leka Maria lezingilosi bengabelungu.
Umthimba weKwanzaa wawuphumelela ngokwedlulisa kwe Ngubo Saba lokhu kusitsho ukuthi ukumelwa yizimiso eziyisikhombisa seKawaida kumbe umuntu onanza ubuntu babensundu.
Lezi zimiso yizo ezisenhliziyweni yeKwanzaa.
INgubo Saba yiwo umphakathi wokuziphatha kwabensundu.
Izimiso lezi zibalisa Umoja (ukubambana), Kujichagulia (Ukuzimisela), Ujima (ukuzisebenzela ndawonye), Ujamaa (ukuncedisana kwezokuthuthukisa inotho), Nia (Inhloso), Kuumba (ukubumba le Imani (ukholo).
Ngesikhathi somthimba weKwanzaa, ilanga liyabe lilesimiso esinanzwayo.
IKwanzaa eyithakazelelwi ngamanye amasonto abensundu.
Amanye amaKristu akholwa ukuthi iKwanzaa iphikisana lenkolo kaKristu besithi ayinanzi ukuhlanzwa kwezono ngokwedluliswa ngokufa kukaJesu Kristu.
Bathi iKwanzaa likhefu labahedeni.
Bahlasela lumthimba bekholwa ukuthi bagcina inkolo yabo emunyethwe ebhayibhilini.
Omunye walabo abahlasela iKwanzaa ngomunye umfundisi onsundu uReverendf Jesse Lee Paterson othi lumthimba ngowabahedeni abangakwazi uNkulunkulu njalo abalobandlululo.
Abalobi abensundu abafana lo nGerald Early bahlasela iKwanzaa bekhangele isimiso sokuzikhulula kwabensundu.
Kodwa ungakhangela kukholo lwesiKristu, imibuzo efanayo ebuzwa ngokudabuka kweKwanzaa iyabuzwa njalo ngokudabuka kokholo lwesiKristu.
Ikhefu lekhisimusi alidabuki kundaba yasebhayibhilini ekaJosefa loMaria beloJesu besesibayeni.
Ikhefu lekhisimusi labunjwa njalo ukuthi lithakazelele inkolo yesiKristu.
Ilanga leKhisimusi lona lathathelwa kukhefu yeRoma yona eyayithakazelal ubude belanga lobufutshane bobusuku ngesikhathi sobusika.
Indlela abelungu asebethakazelela ikhisimusi okokuthi kuyabe Santa Claus, kulezihlahla ezibayimayo, kulokudla okunengi, abantu bethenga njalo benikanga izipho iyafana lemithimba eyayikhona ngesikhathi sabaRoma lapho bonanza amandla ka Julia Keseri.
IKwanzaa yona ayidumanga njenge Khisimusi, kodwa iqakathekile ngoba yenza abensundu abaphetsheya benanze njalo babekwazi lapho abavela khona.
IKwanzaa iyasinceda njalo ukuthi sikhumbile impi zethu njalo Sithole amadlabuzane agqitshwa yibugqili langokuthunjwa esakwenza ngabelungu.
Ngesikhathi somthimba weKwanzaa abantu bayanikezana izipho ezaziwa ngokuthi ‘zawaida.’
Izipho lezi zilungiswe ngezandla njalo azibizi imali enengi.
Bayahlala emancansini bephethe amaflag alembala ebomvu, emnyama njalo eluhlaza.
Amaflag la asungulwa ngu Marcus Garvey owayenanza amalungelo abensundu kubo 1920.
Imbali le imele igazi, umbala wabensundu kanye lenotho yeAfrica.
Bayasebenzisa amakhandlela abomvu, amnyama njalo aluhlazo ayabe ebekwe kuzibanjwa ezaziwa ngokuthi ‘kinara.’
Besebenatha kunkomitsho eyodwa eyaziwa ngokuthi kikombe.
Ngesishona ibizwa ngokuthi ‘mukombe’.
Babingelelana ngesiSwahili besebenzisa amazwi athi “harbari gani’ kusitsho ukuthi kwenzekalani.
Abanye ngabathi iKwanzaa isilahlekelwa yisimiso sokujonga abensundu beAfrica ngenxa yokuthengiselana kwemifanekiso yeKwanzaa.
Njengo mzekeliso ngo 1997, iMelika Postal Services yasungula isitamba esasinanza lumthimba.
Kusukela khonapho amabhizimusi amanengi kubalisa aseChina asesebenzisa imifanekiso le ukuthi bathengisa izinto zabo kubensundu abaseMelika ngesikhathi sekhefu leKwanzaa.
Akukho mgceke ukuthi abensundu abathakazelela iKwanzaa bangaki.
Kodwa kucatshangelwa ukuthi abensundu abaseMelika abangamamiliyoni alitshumi lantanthu athakazelela ikhefu leKwanzaa.
Ngesikhathi sekhisimusi langomnyaka omutsha uzwa abensundu abanengi eMelika lakumaphephandaba bebingelelana ngokuthi “Ube leKwanzaa enhle”.
IKwanzaa ngumthimba wamaAfrica aphetsheya.
Iqakathekile ngoba inceda ukubambana kumaAfrica mhlaba wonke jikelele.
Inhloso yayo ngeyo kuhlonipha, ukukhuthaza kanye lokufundisa ilizwe ukuze ibe lokusasa enhle.
IKwanzaa yenza umuntu azinanze njalo azi lapho avela khona.
Inikeza abensundu enye indlela yesiAfrica yokuthazelela ikhisimusi.
Ngesikhathi seKwanzaa, abensundu bayazikhulula njalo babumba kakhutsha imbali yabo, amasiko kanye lobuntu babo okwenza baqubeke belelwa inkululeko kwabelungu.
Iyindlela yokwakha njalo izimiso zabensundu ngesikhathi bethekazelela imbali lekusasa yabo.
Ngakhoke iKwanzaa inanza imbali kanye lelifa labensundu.
Imumethe imikhumbulo yabokhokho bethu.
Komunye umbhalo othwa: Kwanzaa, A matter of principles and Black African History, imbongi u Usiku uloba kwesinye isiqembu senkondlo yakhe uthi:
“Singabantu abakhaliphileyo
Sifaka udhaka elenjwini ukuthi sihlale
Siyaziqenya ngemikhuba yethu
Qaphela okunye ukuphucuka
Lilalele ukuthi umama uthini
Siyinhlangana yemimoya
Siligugu simunye, silamadla sihlangene
Ngokuzimisela langokuhlonipha siyeza ukuzobuyisela ulwazi lwabokhokho kwabesintwana
Silalele ngoba siyezwa.”
Indaba le ithethwe kuThe Patriot yamhlaka Zibandlela 9-15 2015.