In a touching (and funny) homage to the spirit of the season, Lisa Brandon of the communications staff at the Missouri Botanical Garden announced the garden’s Kwanzaa event in a poetic form called the Kwansaba.
Kwansaba is a style of poetry comprised of seven lines, each with seven words of up to seven letters, developed by Poet Laureate Eugene B. Redmond of East St. Louis. Brandon’s Kwansaba for Kwanzaa goes something like this:
The Garden hosts Kwanzaa on Dec. 28.
Visit the Ridgway Center, noon to 4.
Voices and drums tell stories of Africa.
A table is set with harvest bounty.
A family day of joy and unity.
All for the price of Garden entry.
The formal name of the event is “Kwanzaa: Festival of the First Fruits.” Kwanzaa takes its name from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, meaning “fruits of the harvest.”
The event honors African traditions and history with storytelling and music to celebrate the harvest feast before the dry season. A table of fruits, vegetables and grains will be displayed.
Kwanzaa is traditionally a seven-day observance, with each day dedicated to a guiding principle. A ceremony at noon and 3 p.m. will explain the holiday’s origins as one symbolic candle on the kinara is lit for each principle. Following each ceremony, Janice “Mama” Katambwa will tell stories of Africa using costumes and percussion.
Renata’s African Influences, Ajanaku Jewelry and Mama Katambwa’s Boutique will offer Kwanzaa crafts and jewelry for purchase. The Garden Gate Shop also offers an assortment of African-made crafts and music CDs.
The event is included with garden admission of $8 for adults; St. Louis City and County residents, $4 for adults and $2 for seniors age 65 and over. Children 12 and under and members of the garden are admitted free.
For general information, call the 24-hour recorded hotline at (314) 577-9400 or 1-800-642-8842, or visit www.mobot.org.