The African American Holiday of Kwanzaa derives its name from the lingua franca of East Africa, Swahili.
Put succinctly, as the griot tells the story of Kwanzaa Gets an A , the children respond Ashe (ah-Shay), a West African word that means to bring about change..
Consequently, the book was written to be an interactive experience where children participate, call and respond.
Karenga\'s book as a guide, Kwanzaa Gets An A narrates the story about the manner in which the name of the holiday came into existence using a griot, an African storyteller.
Using Dr.
Moreover, uncovering these facts inspired me to write a picture book: Kwanzaa Gets an A.
Karenga wanted all seven children present at the first Kwanzaa to participate in the program.
According to those sources, I discovered that the extra a was attributed to the fact that Dr.
Karenga on the origins of Kwanzaa.
Therefore, I reviewed the books written by Dr.
After reading and analyzing several different explanations, I decided to directly approach the source.
Furthermore, The Children\'s Book of Kwanzaa by Dolores Johnson elucidates that the extra \'a\' was added to give the holiday greater significance.
Anyke\'s book African American Holidays , he states that the extra a was added to distinguish this celebration as an African American Holiday.
For example, in James C.
Why is that so? Well, you\'ll get many answers if you read books about Kwanzaa.
Yet, as you may have noticed, Kwanza has only one a in the expression, but the Kwanzaa that is celebrated by millions of people has two A\'s.
Moreover, Kwanzaa derived its name from the phrase matunda ya kwanza ( first fruits ).
Karenga chose Swahili because it is the largest language spoken by Africans across the continent.
Many people believe that Dr.
Additionally, the names and principles of the holiday are also derived from the language.
The African American Holiday of Kwanzaa derives its name from the lingua franca of East Africa, Swahili
