Philly will celebrate Kwanzaa with its first kinara

Philadelphia officially has a kinara for Kwanzaa. The almost 11-foot sculpture marks a first for the city.

The kinara, which is set to be installed Friday, will be displayed on the southwest corner of City Hall for the duration of the holiday, beginning on Dec. 26.

Councilmember Kendra Brooks announced the arrival of the seven-arm candelabra, a central part of the Kwanzaa celebration that holds one candle for each of the seven Kwanzaa principles.

Brooks didn’t know why it took the city so long to have its own kinara but she believes its presence is long overdue.

“We have a Christmas tree. We have a menorah. Why not a kinara?” Brooks said, before a news conference at the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Parkway Central branch.

Between planning and bureaucracy, the project took a year to come to fruition. Brooks said she’s filled with joy for what the kinara represents: heritage, culture, and unity.

Artist Mama Maisha Sullivan-Ongoza of the Kwanzaa Cooperative previously made a kinara for New York City’s City Hall, but she confessed to tearing up when the approval of the Philly kinara came in.

“It hit me how monumental this is. New York is not my city, I felt proud that I did that, but this is my city,” said Sullivan-Ongoza.

The sculpture started as a 9-foot art piece, but has evolved into a near11-foot commemoration of Kwanzaa.

In addition to the candles, Sullivan-Ongoza’s work will include traditional elements of Kwanzaa such as fruit and corn. She is working on adding a QR code to the kinara so that people can get more information about the celebration.