Men, women and children brightened the dark night Tuesday evening, wearing colorful traditional African garb to the gathering billed as the First Annual Karamu Village at the Banana Leaf Bistro in celebration of the fourth day of Kwanzaa.
The Kwanzaa focus on family, community and culture was evident among the approximately 50 Virgin Islanders who attended, with generations of families dining together, children laughing and playing around the pool, and community members exchanging ideas and greeting old and new friends.
The principle corresponding to the fourth day of Kwanzaa is Ujamaa, the Swahili word for cooperative economics, and Tuesday’s dinner put that into practice by patronizing the Banana Leaf Bistro, run by St. Thomian Linda Chesterfield.
Chesterfield moved back to St. Thomas after working in four-star restaurants in New York and has realized her dream of opening a vegetarian restaurant. According to Chesterfield, Banana Leaf Bistro is the quintessence of the seven principles of Kwanzaa. “We talk about the principles of Kwanzaa, but a lot of times we don’t practice it,” said Chesterfield.
One of the ways she has put the principles into practice is by taking four children between the ages of 10 and 18 under her wing, teaching them all aspects of culinary arts.
In fact, dinner was served by youngsters who worked with big grins, endless energy and pride. For just $10, attendees enjoyed plates of tofu turkey stuffed with cranberry cornbread, apple and apricot, creamy whipped butternut squash with sweet potato, sautéed green beans, Ujamaa Kwanzaa vegetarian pot roast in cranberry sauce, roasted baby carrots and baby Yukon gold potatoes. Dessert was a bread pudding, and local drinks, such as sorrel, passion fruit and lemongrass lemonade, were served.
During dinner, celebrants were treated to a showing of “The Black Candle,” a film narrated by Maya Angelou, which gives the history of Kwanzaa and the struggle of African-Americans for cultural identity.
Tevar Malone, an air traffic controller and avid drummer, is celebrating Kwanzaa for the third year. He learned about the holiday through his parents chorale group and originally became interested because of his love of the drums but has learned more about Kwanzaa with each passing year. This year, he says he is “really feeling the full meaning of Kwanzaa.”
Also enjoying the meal with her one-year-old daughter was Marie Paul, a St. Thomian who learned about Kwanzaa while living on the mainland but really got involved when she moved home last year. Paul, who teaches a traditional West African dance class on Wednesday evenings, said, “I keep all of the principles in the forefront. A lot of the people here are involved in other things and we have a close-knit community that works together, helping each other.”
Tomorrow’s Kwanzaa celebration will consist of an ancestral remembrance drum circle to be held at sundown at the Lindbergh Bay Park gazebo.
