The Robey Theatre Company is presenting a new play, “Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Unity,” to coincide with the seven-day celebration of the winter festival of Kwanzaa. This is an online performance which will be screened from December 26, 2021, through January 1, 2022.
Kwanzaa is a festival of African American culture, inspired by African harvest festivals and created by Dr. Maulana Karenga, chair of Africana Studies at Cal State Long Beach.
In the play Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Unity, Dr. Agu, an American Black Studies professor, has traveled to Ghana in order to trace his own ancestral roots. Ghana is subjected to an abrupt and complete pandemic lockdown. Dr. Agu cannot leave his hotel, much less return to America. He is compelled to teach his students back in the U.S.A. via Zoom. Dr. Agu offers his students a more complete version of American history and teaches the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa as a blueprint for living a responsible, productive, and ethical life.
His Stateside class of American students is a diverse bunch. In addition to Black students, there is a young white woman, a Latinx, a Chinese American rapper, and a white supremacist nationalist. This white supremacist will prove to be a challenge to Dr. Agu and the entire class of students. However, surprises are in store, and this academic adventure will be an eye-opening experience for all.
Performances can be accessed on Sunday, December 26, 2021, at 3:00 p.m. PST and every day from December 27, 2021, through January 1, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. PST.
Zoom links will be sent to audience members who register in advance. CLICK HERE to sign up.
You can subscribe to The Robey’s YouTube Channel and receive notifications regarding the play’s availability on YouTube. CLICK HERE to subscribe.
It is FREE to watch this play. However, because the Robey is a nonprofit developmental theatre organization, and it NEEDS donations to survive. A voluntary $10 donation is an important way to show support, and will be gratefully accepted – CLICK HERE to donate. Find out more about the Robey Theatre on its website – http://therobeytheatrecompany.org
