I Create
Kummba – 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 that we inherited it.
This principle calls us to tap into our creativity, empowers us to activate our self-determination that aids us in exploring or inherited greatness. When I think about Kummba, I think of the many places all over the world where we can go to see the creativity that lives within us. If we travel back to the motherland, the country of Egypt, we will encounter various monuments that depict the fact that Black Magic is real. Egypt is the land that helps to remind us of the powers that we possess. Our creativity is captured in the well-preserved Kings and Queens that use to govern the land to the hieroglyphics that cover pillars and walls that recall our stories that account for our universal consciousness. Anyone can visit and know that we were there, this was our home. Egypt captured both spiritual and ethical commitment and made it their obligation to leave a legacy of the ancestors for generations to come.
Let’s walk through Atlanta, Georgia, the home of Black Enterprise. I had the chance to visit there a few times this last summer. The Little Five-Points was one of my favorite places. The Little Five Points just miles away from FOUR historically black Universities: Spellman, Morehouse, Clark- Atlanta and still standing but not occupied Morris Brown University. The Little-Five points within walking distance of the Martian Luther Museum and the historic home that he grew up in. Little Five-Points minutes away from the famous Oakland Cemetery. In the Five -Points there were countless black markets filled with african inspired oils, arts, and knowledge. People lined the street unapologetically embracing their talents, performing their arts, and displaying their ability to be culturally activated. The buildings were covered with Black murals by many black artists. The streets were lined with museums and educational pit stops that serve as time portals that allowed me to recall history and remind me of the struggle that my ancestors went through just so that I have the freedoms that I have today. Just being in Atlanta to see and feel the energy of black success taught me that one of the greatest freedoms one can experience today as a black person Is to remember.
It is important that we clarify the misconception of creativity. Creativity doesn’t have to be art, dance, singing, poetry or a bestselling novel. Creativity can be manifested as black enterprise through the means of black businesses. Businesses that require creative thinking that can assist in solving everyday problems. As we continue to develop black businesses, we also leave a cultural engineered blueprint for continued success. Creativity can be manifest through strong and healthy families and relationships. The more that we move with purpose the more that we cultivate relationships that create families that can learn to step away from narrative that longer fit us and build off of the core Kwanzaa principles that will set the tone for our offspring for generations to come.
Many underestimate the power of visualization. Our ability to visualize is our ability to teleport ourselves to places that we have never been and may never have the chance of going. Our power to visualize allows us to experience events without physically being present. Our power to visualize allows us to learn from the past so that can gain the information that was lost, clarify the misconceptions that have left us plague and stagnate and allows us to rewrite our truths and add to our never ending legacy all around the world so that no matter where we go we can always see ourselves. By visualizing we activate our creativity and leave our families and communities better than they were before.
Ask Your Slef :
What does creativity mean to you and why is it important ?
When was the last time you felt creative?
What is a creative community?
