Habari Gani......Ujamaa!

Happy Wednesday and Thanks for stopping by...

Today is the fourth day of Kwanzaa, Ujamaa (000-jah-mah'). Ujamaa is Swahili for Cooperative Economics; "to build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together". In this economic climate it has never been more important to support the little "Mom & Pop" stores in our own neighborhoods. The dress shops, natural food stores, hardware stores, restaurants, and yes SCRAPBOOK STORES!

Did you know that African Americans make up about 13.4 percent of the American population yet we only own about 5 percent of American businesses? Now something is wrong with this picture, especially since we spend so much of our money on the clothes, shoes and entertainment that make other people filthy RICH!!.....Okay, I'm not going to preach but we really need to consider starting our own businesses and teaching our children to do the same...I'm just saying...

I started running my storytelling & drama programs as a business about four years ago and I am constantly talking to my sons about what types of businesses they might consider operating, some day. I show them examples of kids who are running businesses and actually making some serious money too!

Anywho, in honor of the Kwanzaa celebration I wanted to share a craft that I created for the Scraps of Color E:spire Great Kwanzaa Giveaway. So here goes.....

This was so much fun to make! I used a bunch of leftovers from my Christmas cards and some free clipart I found online, my copics and my embossing tool to create this Kwanzaa Tag Book. there are seven pockets; one for each day of Kwanzaa. Here are some close up shots.

I used many African and Kwanzaa symbols in this craft.

• The Lion represents wisdom and strength in most traditional African stories.
• The Kinara is the candle holder for the Mishuma Saba (seven candles)
• The Kikumbe Cha Umoja is the Unity cup. During the Kwanzaa celebration, in your home each family member should take a sip of juice or water from the cup (from oldest to youngest) symbolizing unity.
• The Djembe drum is a symbol of freedom and the original cell phone (haha) for communication in the village.
• The dashiki represents African clothing and custom.
• Finally, the bandera is the African American flag displaying the colors black (the people), red (sacrifice), and green (the land or success)
  

And here are the tags. I used my Rubbernecker stamps for these little cuties. Each tag has the Swahili principle and the meaning. I think I might make a few more of these Tag Books for some of my friends who also celebrate Kwanzaa....

Thanks for stopping by! See you next time...