A Test of Faith
Imani - Faith- To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggles.
The symbol of Imani contains both the Ankh and the Djed, which symbolizes life, stability, and steadfastness. Faith speaks to our complete trust and confidence in someone or something. Imani speaks to our ability to have faith in one another as well as faith in our struggle. It has been said without unity we can not begin the work that needs to be done to elevate ourselves and without faith, our ability to sustain any work that we have done will lessen if not diminish if we do not have faith in ourselves and our brothers and sisters.
It was this day, January 1,1804, that Haiti made history by being the first Black republic in the world and the first country in the Western hemisphesere to abolish slavery. This act alone dissipated the world's understanding of liberty and freedom. Never did France, Britain, or Spain plan to take a loss by the hands of enslaved Hatians. Never did anyone expect enslaved peoples to understand their depths of freedom. Not only did they physically fight but they made it their duty to intellectually educate themselves. The slaves of Haiti banded together to not only understand their human rights but the biblical principles that held them in disporportiant positions.The Haitian revolution was the only successful revolt in the documented history of humanity. This was a complete act of courage and heroism. This revolt was instrumental in ending the slave trade, and also inspired countless other acts fights for freedoms around the world. For this reason the day is recognized in Haiti as their Independence Day and is recognized as Ancestor Day, which pays homage to the ancestors that fought to ensure a free Haiti.
Our ancestors executed the principal of Imani. They learned to have faith in themselves and their community and because of the faith they had and their commitment to their struggle they were victorious. Some would say that the history of Haiti now came at the price of their freedom. I would say, perhaps they have lost faith in themselves and their community. As the saying goes, to whom much is given, much is required, which would imply that we have to keep the same heroism energy even after winning out battles. We have to learn to stick together in all situations, not just situations brought on by our oppressor. We have to work together here and everywhere. We have to understand that our brother’s and sister's problems are our problems too.
Faith is also grounded in our spirituality. Spirituality starts with the belief of the divine. From Egypt on we are taught that we are created in the image of the divine, because of this we have unlimited consciousness and creativity through self determination and positive personality. We are expected to carry ourselves like the divine therefore we are not only responsible for ourselves but for each other and the societies that we create.
As Kwanzza comes to an end, we must take the time to ensure that we are living in alignment with the African principles that better help to align us with our divine purpose. As you set intentions, set them with purpose.
