Photos: Cary Kwanzaa 2018
Cary, NC – For the past 24 years, the Ujima Group, Inc. has held its annual Kwanzaa Celebration, partnering with the Town of Cary. We got photos from the event’s ceremonies, speeches and musical performances.
The 24th Annual Cary Kwanzaa Celebration took place at the Cary Arts Center on Friday, December 28, 2018. Kwanzaa is a holiday created in the 1960s as a way to celebrate African cultural heritage and to reflect and re-evaulate the year right before a new year starts. Inside the Cary Arts Center, there were a variety of vendors selling everything from food to clothing to jewelry to fragrances and even comic books, while the talks and performances took place on the center’s stage.
As part of the traditional Kwanzaa celebrations, the event included libations, candle lightings and the recitation of the seven principles associated with Kwanzaa or the Nguzo Saba.
The libation ceremony from the Cary Kwanzaa Celebration
Children invited on-stage as part of the Kwanzaa ceremony
This year’s theme was “Working to Build a Kind and Just World” and as part of that theme, there was a talk by chef Njathi Kabui who shared the history of commercial cooking and chefs as well as tips and advice on how to eat healthy.
Chef Njathi Kabui
The event also featured music and dance performances from people and groups around the Triangle.
Drummers from the Collage Dance Company
Dancers from the Collage Dance Company
The Mac McLaughlin Group
Jazz pianist Elmer Gibson and flutist Lori Barmer
Singer and songwriter Shannon Grier with pianist Joseph Keys
Photos by Michael Papich and Lindsey Chester.
