What Peacebuilders Can Learn From Kwanzaa’s Principles
By Tristiaña Hinton
When I was a kid, every year for as long as I can remember the Christmas tree went up in front of the living room window. On a wooden table nearby went the thatch-roofed nativity scene. And the kinara.
Kinara is the Swahili word for candleholder, and what we call the centerpiece of the Black American holiday Kwanzaa.
At its core, though, Kwanzaa is about community. About what our world looks like if we lean into the collective. About the strength that comes from going together.
Now I believe in cultural boundaries—because not everything belongs to everyone. But I also believe the principles of Kwanzaa can help us solve many of our collective problems. These principles weren’t designed as abstract values. They were designed as a roadmap for how we can build the world we want to live in, together.
Here’s how we can use the Nguzo Saba, or the seven principles, to connect and create a more peaceful society for all of us.
1. Umoja—Unity
Our first principle sets the stage. It reminds us of all our favorite cliches—no man is an island, it takes a village, if you want to go far, go together, blah, blah, blah. The point is we’re stronger as a group. And one of the most powerful things we can do is acknowledge that we need each other to get better. The more we silo ourselves, the more divided we allow ourselves to become, the less we’re able to accomplish. This is true of peacebuilding as it is with worship, protesting, advocacy, and free speech.
2. Kujichagulia—Self-Determination
Even as a member of a community, you still get to be yourself. Your beliefs, experiences, ideas, and desires all matter. You have the right to those things, even as you lean into the needs of the collective. The real question is: How can you use the things that make you special to make your community better?
3. Ujima—Collective Work & Responsibility
None of us can do this life thing alone. And despite how a surge in individualism has tried to tell us otherwise, we are responsible for each other. When we center the sum of us over the parts, we open up doors to solutions we never considered.
4. Ujamaa—Cooperative Economics
In a capitalist society, money decides who has access, stability, and power. But when we pool our resources and skillsets, we create a whole new way of approaching this system. Whether you’re thinking about mutual aid, a community garden, or some other way of stabilizing your community’s ability to solve problems, coming together in partnership gets us there faster and stronger.
5. Nia—Purpose
We talk a lot about people’s why. And it’s as important to get to an individual person’s why as it is to get to our collective why. Why do we, as a group, want peace? Why do we all, as a society, deserve safety? Our individual why’s help bring us to the table. Our collective why—or purpose—helps us stay.
6. Kuumba—Creativity
Solving big problems requires thinking outside the box. We have to invent the systems we want to live in while navigating the ones we have. Getting innovative and being open to new ideas is the way we keep moving forward. Everything we’re used to started as someone’s big idea.
7. Imani—Faith
Faith requires believing in something bigger than ourselves. Something beyond our current condition. Peace is possible, even in the face of so many moments trying to tell us otherwise. This faith keeps us locked in when stuff gets hard (and it will get hard). It reminds us that we are the architects of the peaceful communities we dream of, and that together we can build them. On our blocks, in our neighborhoods, and across the country.
