KWANZAA
Day #6: December 31
Nguzo Saba
Kwanzaa Principle #6
Kuumba (koo-OOM-bah)
Creativity
"To do always
as much as we can in the way that we can in order to leave our
community more beautiful and beneficial than when we inherited
it."
The Sixth Principle is Kuumba and logically follows from and is
required by the Principle of Nia. It is a commitment to being
creative within the context of the national community vocation of
restoring our people to their traditional greatness and thus
leaving our community more beneficial and beautiful than we, i.e.,
each generation, inherited it. The Principle has both a social and
spiritual dimension and is deeply rooted both in social and sacred
teachings of African societies.
Nowhere is this principle more clearly expressed than in the
literature and culture of ancient Egypt. Creativity here is both
an original act or imitation of the Creator and a restorative act
also reflective of the Creator constantly pushing back the
currents of chaos and decay and revitalizing and restoring the
natural, spiritual and cosmic energy of the world. In ancient
Egypt, there was a spiritual and ethical commitment and obligation
to constantly renew and restore the great works, the legacy of the
ancestors and the creative energy of the leader and nation. This
was considered doing Maat, i.e., reaffirming and restoring truth,
justice and righteousness, harmony, balance, order, rightness,
etc. Each pharaoh saw his or her reign, then, as one of
restoration of Maat, i.e., the reaffirmation, reestablishment and
renewal of the Good, the Beautiful and the Right.
Practice
Kuumba
every day!
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