Kwanzaa

Friday, December 30, 2022, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Free with suggested $5 donation at the garden gate

This celebration of Kwanzaa will take place in the multicultural setting of Mission Garden. Join us in the threshing ground, adjacent to the Africa in the Americas Garden, to learn about and celebrate this holiday.

Kwanzaa is an annual, week-long celebration observed in the United States, based on harvest festival traditions from many parts of Africa. 

Activities will include stories, blessings, historical accounts, refreshments, and a dance performance by the Barbea Williams Performing Company. 

On this day of stories and performances Maegan Lopez, Mission Garden Cultural Outreach Specialist, will describe the O’odham tradition of telling stories in the winter. 

There will be a children’s activity table with drawing, coloring, necklace making, and more.

Also as part of this program, Michael Engs, who researches people of African descent in local history, will tell the story of Maria Feliciana Arballo. Arballo was part of the de Anza Expedition of 1774, which passed through Tucson very near where Mission Garden is today before proceeding on to California. 

The Barbea Williams Performing Company will do an interpretive dance based on themes and stories in this celebration. This company does choreography, cultural folklore, and story dance using dance to educate and bring attention to current events and social justice issues.

Schedule of Events

10am Master of ceremonies Dr. Michael Engs Introductions
10:05-10:15 Meagan Lopez The first Peoples and Why certain stories are only told in the winter
10:15 Blessing by Pastor Otis Brown Jr.
10:25 Michael Engs describes Maria Feliciana Arballo, a Woman of Courage and Fortitude 
10:35 Barbea Williams Performing Arts Company, Arballo Narrative and Dance, followed by Origins of Kwanzaa. This performance will move around the garden!
11:30 Sharing Refreshments 
12:00 Closing comments

Share on Facebook