Richmond, VA • Elegba Folklore Society, Richmond’s Cultural Ambassador, will present the 2022 Capital City Kwanzaa Festival on Friday, December 30, 5:00pm – 10pm. at the Greater Richmond Convention Center, Exhibit Hall B 5th & Marshall Streets, Richmond, Virginia.
The 2022 Capital City Kwanzaa Festival presents a carefully planned series of events to please the palette of attendees and capture the spirit and the significance of the Kwanzaa holiday, created by Dr. Maulana Karenga, now in its 56th year. The festival’s main stage is alive with music, dance and message presented to strengthen families and galvanize the community. The African Market will be open with food and shopping. Children are invited to Watoto Kwanzaa, and the Nia Sessions engage holiday reflections in this nationally recognized observance of the Kwanzaa (quahn-zah) holiday.
The Capital City Kwanzaa Festival is one of the largest Kwanzaa celebrations on the east coast. Because of it, Dr. Karenga has said,
“Richmond is a major center for the celebration of Kwanzaa; it is an important site of African American history and culture, and it has been a very welcoming and enjoyable experience for my wife, Tiamoyo, and me.”
The 2022 Capital City Kwanzaa Festival welcomes Dr. Maulana Karenga (mah – OO – lah – nah kah-RING – gah), the Creator of Kwanzaa, as the Keynote Speaker. He will talk about Kwanzaa, culture and the practice of freedom. Kwanzaa is a Pan-African holiday of unity, strength, clarity and solidarity based on reconnection with essential African value systems.
The festival’s theme is “Celebrating Black Futures.” Cultural affinity offers a contextual rear view and forward thinking for creating the future. The festival occurs on the fifth day of Kwanzaa, Nia, or Purpose, and it allows a particular focus on the restoration of these ideals. The Ancestral Libation and Candle Lighting Ceremony set the tone for the day. Attendees are invited to come and experience the Kwanzaa holiday right from the start. The Nia Sessions are ongoing workshops that will offer perspectives toward personal and community triumph. Nia, the fifth of the seven principles of Kwanzaa, the Nguzo Saba, means purpose, which, according to Dr. Karenga is “to make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.”
Topics include AfroEconomics, Positivism, African Affairs and Environmental Justice. The African Market of cultural merchandise and African-inspired cuisine is open all evening, and Watoto Kwanzaa will invite children to make art and participate in conversations that teach them about the holiday. The festival’s performers are Plunky and Oneness, Pan Masters Steel Orchestra, song stylist, Kaay Taurus and, of course, Elegba Folklore Society.
