Ottawa Kwanzaa Celebration 2024

Community Leaders Lighting the Kinara

Kwanzaa Tickets Are Now On Sale

Limited Tickets Available

Secure Yours Now Before It’s Too Late

Under this year’s theme ‘Africans UniteJaku Konbit  warmly invites the community to the annual Ottawa Kwanzaa Celebration on:

Saturday, December 28, 2024

Blu Legacy Convention Centre

3750 Bowsville Road, Ottawa, Ontario

4:00 p.m. – 11 p.m.

About the Event

The Ottawa Kwanzaa celebration is now bigger and better than ever, making it the largest non-religious cultural celebration during the holiday season in Ottawa. It draws people from diverse communities across the region and has become a beacon of unity and cultural richness. The event showcases many traditions, performances, and educational activities, highlighting the festival’s core principles. Kwanzaa celebrates the shared history, culture, and similar experiences of people of African descent by bringing together individuals from Africa, the Caribbean, and the diaspora. It promotes and fosters family, community, and culture as the core foundation of a strong and vibrant community.

Jaku Konbit once again delivered a spectacular Annual Ottawa Kwanzaa Celebration on Saturday, December 28th. The event was filled with vibrant music, dancing, drumming, and singing, creating a lively atmosphere that showcased the richness of African culture. The AfroGobal Television Network was also on-site to capture the cultural event for future publications, ensuring that the celebration would be remembered and shared. This year’s celebration elegantly reflected the theme of Kwanzaa, promoting the important values of family, community, and culture, making it a truly memorable occasion for all who attended.

Comments From Members of the Community

“Congratulations Ken, to you and your team for an amazing event.”

“This is our first exposure to Kwanzaa, and it is an experience that we will hold for quite some time and share with friends and family.”

“We loved the wide range of participants, especially the youngsters (so encouraging) and of course our highlight was the drummers who closed off the evening. Impressive!!!”

“Jaku’s contribution to the Ottawa community is remarkable… keep it up”

“Congratulations to Jaku for an excellent presentation. Everything was on point!”

“Happy new year! Congratulations on a well-run Kwanzaa Celebration. It was my first and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Well done Jaku Konbit!”

Online Kwanzaa Celebration

December 26th - January 1, 2025

Join us for an online celebration via Zoom during the week of Kwanzaa. We will learn and share together while having lots of fun. From December 26th to January 1st, every day at 6:30 PM, we will be live online celebrating Kwanzaa. As a community, we will light our candles, discuss the day’s principle from the Nguzo Saba (7 principles), and celebrate together.

We understand physical gatherings may not be possible for many of us. However, we can still come together virtually on Zoom in mind and spirit. Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday celebrated by over 35 million people of African descent throughout the world. As Black people, we must be mindful of the customs and traditions we practice and pass down, especially those that were not created by us and do not benefit us. Instead, we should embrace celebrations that align with our values.

If you want to watch videos related to the online celebration of Kwanzaa, please click here.

What is Kwanzaa?

Kwanzaa is a non-religious cultural holiday that is celebrated around the world from December 26 – January 1 of the New Year. The celebration is designed to promote cultural pride, dignity, and foster a vibrant and healthy community.

There are seven principles highlighted during the season of Kwanzaa:

  • Umoja, Unity – to be unified as a diverse amalgamation of one people
  • Kujichagulia, Self Determination – to drive oneself to achieve one’s goals
  • Ujima, Collective Work and Responsibility – to work for the community
  • Ujamaa, Cooperative Economics – to economically support each other
  • Nia, Purpose – to commit oneself to the betterment of our community
  • Kuumba, Creativity – to do whatever you can in the way you can
  • Imani, Faith – to believe in what you are doing and its outcome.