WorldBeat Cultural Center will be celebrating its 45th Annual Celebration with 4 of the 7 days of Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa is an African American Holiday celebrated from the 26th of December to the 1st of January. The annual Kwanzaa holiday was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga to celebrate and reaffirm family, community, and culture.

Kwanzaa was a celebration that was established as a means to help African Americans reconnect with their African cultural and historical heritage by uniting in meditation and study of African traditions and Nguzu Saba, the “seven principles of African Heritage” which Karenga said “is a communitarian African philosophy”.

Each night will feature keynote guest speakers or performers, ceremonial candle lighting and libation with drumming, poetry readings, and Karamu (the traditional feast and family get down).

Friday, December 26 – Umoja (Unity)

Starla Lewis

Starla Lewis is a Professor Emerita of Black Studies, author, and transformational speaker whose four decades of teaching and community leadership uplift unity, self-love, and empowerment.

Dr. Derah (Dalene Brown)

Dr. Derah is a pioneering holistic health practitioner with over 50 years of experience guiding individuals toward balance and vitality through natural and ancestral healing practices.

Mariea Antoinette (Performance)

Mariea Antoinette is an internationally acclaimed urban-jazz harpist known for blending classical elegance with soulful contemporary sound.

Saturday, December 27 – Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)

Dr. Edda L. Fields-Black

Dr. Edda L. Fields-Black is a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian whose groundbreaking scholarship illuminates Harriet Tubman’s military leadership and the power of self-determination in Black history.

Mariea Antoinette (Performance)

Harpist Mariea Antoinette brings dynamic, genre-blending performances that fuse tradition with innovation and soul.

Sunday, December 28 – Ujima (Collective Work & Responsibility)

Ayanna Gregory

Ayanna Gregory is an educator, singer, and activist who uses music, theater, and storytelling to heal communities and carry forward the legacy of justice and liberation.

Shugri Said Salh

Shugri Said Salh is an award-winning author and cultural storyteller whose memoir The Last Nomad preserves Somali heritage and celebrates resilience through lived experience.

Tebe Zalango (Performance)

Tebe Zalango shares the powerful rhythms, songs, and dances of East Africa, celebrating community, culture, and collective expression.

Monday, December 29 – Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)

Tebe Zalango (Performance)

Tebe Zalango returns with vibrant East African drumming and dance that honors cooperation, tradition, and cultural continuity.

Dramane Koné & African Drum and Dance Ensemble (Performance)

Master drummer Dramane Koné and his ensemble deliver electrifying West African rhythms that embody unity, collaboration, and ancestral power.

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