Kwanzaa celebrations underway in Barbados

The Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration (CMPI) and the Haynesville Youth Group kicked off this year’s Kwanzaa celebrations with a parade and energetic cultural showcase in the Haynesville, St. James community on Boxing Day.

This is the fifth year that the two organisations have collaborated to highlight the cultural holiday which has been celebrated in Barbados since the 1980s.

The pan-African holiday was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966 in the United States and is celebrated from December 26 to January 1. The seven days correspond to the Seven Principles, or Nguzo Saba celebrating family, community and culture.

This year, the opening of Kwanzaa was dedicated to the children of Haynesville.

 “The Haynesville Youth Club is very pleased to be associated with this activity. We are essentially an Afro-centric group and that lends ideally to the whole concept of Kwanzaa,” said President of the Haynesville Youth Club Peter Skeete.

“We want the community to enjoy the pulsating sounds of the drum and the performances of a delightful group of young people who are distinguishing themselves both now and in the future”.

General Secretary of CMPI, David Denny said he was delighted to have Cuban Ambassador to Barbados, Sergio de Jesus Jorge Pastrana, and Chargé d’Affaires at the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Alvaro Sanchez join the festivities at the Haynesville Police Outpost.

He also disclosed that Kwanzaa 2019 in the coming days will go onto recognise the Haitian Independence, Cuban Revolution, the President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro as “the man of the year” and shows support for We Gatherin’ Barbados 2020.

“We are going to be honouring the President of Venezuela during this Kwanzaa period for his contribution in terms of defending the Venezuelan people. And also for defending the position that our region remain a region of peace, and therefore we want to make sure that our Kwanzaa celebration throughout the seven days, stand in solidarity with all of the Pan-Africanists struggles in terms of defending us and also demanding reparation for the African people”.

In addition, Denny announced that Member of Parliament Trevor Prescod will be honoured for his contribution to the local Pan-African movement during a ceremony at the end of Kwanzaa on New Year’s Day. (TL)