How to Join a Kwanzaa Ancestral Roll Call

A Kwanzaa ancestral roll call is performed when people join together to form a group ritual. Each participant stands and tells about someone who has been an inspiration to him on a personal level. The rest of the group listens and allows for a time of silence to reflect on the previous acts that have been performed in order to facilitate a positive growth in the African culture.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Find out through immediate and extended family members if there are any gatherings of the ancestral roll call. If so, contact the organizers and see if you can join by becoming an active participant. Be sure you have a story of inspiration to share with the group.

2. Contact your local African traditional church. They often have information on area Kwanzaa celebrations in the neighborhood. In many cases, they can provide access to contact information for local groups and organizers that are promoting different events, including an ancestral roll call.

3. Start your own Kwanzaa ancestral roll call and encourage others to join your group (usually family and friends). Hearing others' stories can sometimes be just as inspirational as living through your own.

4. Start an informal ancestral roll call during a family dinner or other gathering. All that is required is that you stand and speak about a person who has been a personal inspiration to you. Traditionally, this person is an ancestor, but you can speak about anyone who has had a positive impact on your life.

5. Participate in an online ancestral roll call. You can join in and write, blog, or email your story of inspiration to your virtual group members. Advances in technology make communications between fellow celebrators easier and more accessible than ever before.

Tips & Warnings

• Although Kwanzaa has only officially been recognized since 1966, there are records of similar celebrations dating back to ancient Egypt and Nubia.
• The mission of the Kwanzaa celebration is to unite people of African descent from all regions to reflect on their lives, their lifestyles and their actions in relation to what they will be passing on to future generations.