The 7 Principles of Nguzo Saba

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The 7 Principles of Nguzo Saba

• Umoja (Unity)
• Kujichagulia (Self-determination)
• Ujima (Collective Work Responsibility)
• Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)
• Nia (Purpose)
• Kuumba (Creativity)
• Imani (Faith)

Resources
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Umoja (Unity) To strive for and maintain unity in
the family, community, nation and race
( oo-MOE-jah)
How do we work toward unity? Does this start with
our own attitudes?
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Kujichagulia (Self-determination) To define
ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves
and speak for ourselves.
(koo-jee-cha-goo-LEE-ah)
What do my choices say about who I am? How do my
choices influence others? How do my/our choices
influence my/our future?
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Ujima (Collective Work Responsibility) To
build and maintain our community together and
make our sisters and brothers problems our
problems, and solve them together.
( oo-JEE-mah)
How can we help each other every day? How do we
help each other solve conflicts/problems? What
are our responsibilities to humanity?
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Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) To build and
maintain our own stores, shops and other
businesses and to profit from them together.
(oo-JAH-mah)
How can we profit from working together? How can
we support our community/school/family?
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Nia (Purpose) To make our collective vocation
the building and developing of our community in
order to restore our people to their traditional
greatness
( nee-AH )
What is my/our purpose/reason/goal? How do I/we
overcome obstacles and keep trying to reach
my/our goals?
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Kuumba (Creativity) To do always as much as we
can, in the way we can, in order to leave our
community more beautiful and beneficial than we
inherited it
( koo-OOM-bah)
What is my gift? How can I share my gift? How can
I use my gifts/talents with others to help build
a positive environment/community?
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Imani (Faith) To believe with all our heart in
our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the
righteousness and victory of our struggle
( ee-MAH-nee)
What is faith? How can I/we demonstrate
faith? How can we learn from the victories of our
struggles?
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Some resources for Nguzo Saba The Seven
Principles of Kwanzaahttp//members.aol.com/klove
01/nguzosab.htm The official Web site
http//www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/NguzoSaba.sh
tml Use the principles year roundhttp//www.doth.
com/kwanzaa/principles/index2.htm
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Thanks to the African American Academy for the
chance to learn about the 7 Principles of Nguzo
Saba and for the questions found on each slide.
Janice Johnson-Palmer, Instructional Technology,
Seattle Public Schools