Pre-Kwanzaa Workshop to be Held November 5, at Ashé Cultural Arts Center

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Viola T. Johnson
(504) 569-9070 / violatjohnson@gmail.com

What: PRE-KWANZAA WORKSHOP

Theme: The Spirit of the Black Family/Community

When: November 5, 2011

Time: 9:30 - 10:00 a.m. --Breakfast and Marketplace
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon --Workshop and Activities

Place: Ashé Cultural Arts Center, 1712 Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, New Orleans

Contact: (504) 569-9070

Admission: Free

The New Orleans Kwanzaa Coalition is partnering with Ashé Cultural Arts Center to present a Kwanzaa Workshop entitled "The Spirit of the Black Family/Community," on November 5, 2011, from 9:30 to 12 noon. Information will be shared about the history of Kwanzaa celebrations in New Orleans, particularly the seven principles of Kwanzaa and how they connect to everyday life year-round. Excerpts will be shown from "The Black Candle: A Kwanzaa Celebration," a documentary by M.K. Asante, narrated by Dr. Maya Angelou. Vendors will be on hand with cultural items in support of the principles, and activities and demonstrations associated with Kwanzaa will be included. The workshop and marketplace takes place at Ashé Cultural Arts Center, 1712 Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard in New Orleans. Call (504) 569-9070 or visit http://www.ashecac.org/ for more information.

ABOUT KWANZAA
Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday which celebrates family, community and culture. Celebrated from December 26 through January 1, its origins are in the first harvest celebrations of Africa from which it takes its name. The name Kwanzaa derived from the phrase "matunda ya kwanza" which means "first fruits" in Swahili, a Pan-African language which is the most widely spoken African language.

Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor of Africana Studies at California State University, Long Beach, author and scholar-activist who stresses the indispensable need to preserve, continually revitalize and promote African American culture. Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday, not a religious one, thus can be practiced by Africans of all religious faiths who come together based on the rich, ancient and varied common ground of their Africanness.

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For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Viola T. Johnson at (504) 569-9070.