The New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s annual Kwanzaa Festival and Marketplace, one of the only endowed Kwanzaa celebrations in the United States, runs Wednesday, December 16 through Sunday, December 20, 2009. An integral part of NJPAC’s holiday celebrations each year, Kwanzaa, a week long secular cultural and community celebration, is observed through varied dance and music performances, a tribute to community elders, a marketplace for holiday shopping, free activities for children and families, and ceremonies honoring members of the community. The Kwanzaa Marketplace runs the entire week of NJPAC’s presentation of Oprah Winfrey Presents: The Color Purple.

Kwanzaa is a seven-day, non-religious, cultural celebration observed annually from December 26 to January 1. It is based on seven principles called the Nguzo Saba, which may serve as a guide for daily living: Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia, (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity) and Imani (Faith).

NJPAC’s annual Kwanzaa Festival is made possible through the generosity of Leon and Toby Cooperman. The festival is part of the Verizon Passport to Culture: FamilyTime Series, made possible in part by The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, Bloomberg, and Target.

A Tribute to the Elders: Honoring A Heritage, an integral element of the Festival celebration, takes place in NJPAC’s Chase Room at 5 p.m. on Friday, December 18, 2009 and tickets are $32 (includes hors d’ouvres). The Tribute will honor community elders Gladys Grauer and renowned musician/teacher Robert Banks for their commitment and continued service to the Newark community. The evening will be hosted by Chuck Davis, Founder and Artistic Director of the African American Dance Company and Dance Africa, and C Katunge Mimy, a local griot.

Master drummer Obo Addy and his Okropong ensemble return to NJPAC for two performances of Ghanian music and dance on Saturday, December 19 at 2 p.m. and again at 5 p.m. in NJPAC’s Victoria Theater. The ensemble uses hands, stick drums, talking drums, bells, shakers and more to create traditional infections rhythms from West Africa. Tickets for this FamilyTime performance are $22 for adults and $12 for children (under 14). Obo Addy, one of the key originators of the seminal musical movement now known as "Worldbeat," is a prominent member of the first generation of African musicians to bring their traditional and popular music to Europe and America. www.oboaddy.com

One of the highlights of the NJPAC holiday season, The Kwanzaa Marketplace, will transform the Prudential Hall lobby into an exciting shopping village. The Marketplace, which runs December 16 through the 20, is filled with local and New Jersey-based vendors selling handmade jewelry, art, books, bath and body products, designer clothing, kente cloths, home furnishings and much more.

The fun-filled Kwanzaa Children’s Festival, taking place in NJPAC’s Lucent Technologies Center for Arts Education, is host to numerous FREE family activities happening on Saturday, December 19 from 12 p.m.-5 p.m. Activities include the Arts and Crafts Village, featuring face painting and hands-on activities such as creating Kwanzaa placemats, Kwanzaa books, Kwanzaa note holders, Oware games and more. Just Us Books will be participating in a Children’s Book Fair. Children’s Storyrooms (story telling), featuring Alhaji Papa Susso of the Gambia, telling the history of his country and his people and performing classic songs with the kora, take place from 1 p.m.-1:50 p.m., and later a presentation, from 2 p.m.-2:45 p.m, features Arthur T. Wilson, author of "Kwanzaa Surprise." From 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. children can learn the Afro-Brazilian martial art form in a Capoeira Workshop.

A perennial favorite at the Children’s Festival, two FREE African dance classes will take place in NJPAC’s Chase Room during the festival. Karen Love, Artistic Director of Umoja Dance Company, will teach children of all ages African rhythms and movement from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and Adia Whitaker will teach an Afro-Caribbean Dance class from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Also at the Lucent Center, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., will be Health Screenings, sponsored by Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies, and Programs for Parents an organization that helps parents, family child care providers, and child care centers balance the complex needs of today’s families and children. Programs for Parents will also provide family exercise routines. From 12:30-1:30 p.m., C. Katunge Mimy hosts a Family Workshop where children can learn about the meaning of Kwanzaa. Newark Stories, a discussion/workshop running from 12:30-1:30p.m., will focus on the various organizations and individuals in Newark that have helped improve the quality of life for families and community members in the City through establishing positive role models, education and economic development. A Drumming Workshop with Bongo Jean-Baptiste runs from 2:00-4:00p.m., at which children can learn about the history of the drum and get a chance to play one. NJPAC is also partnering with The Mayor’s African Commission, City of Newark, which will host an Experience Cote D’Ivoire room where students can learn about the country’s history, traditions and culture with artist Sompohy Baya.

The NJPAC Festival and Marketplace is presented in association with the North Jersey Alumnae and the Montclair Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Beta Alpha Omega Chapter, and The Montclair Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in the heart of an emerging downtown Newark, New Jersey, is the sixth largest performing arts center in the United States. Home of the Grammy® Award-winning New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, NJPAC has been widely cited as a catalyst in the revitalization of New Jersey’s largest city, attracting over 6 million visitors (including more than one million children) in its first twelve years of operation.

Programming has been made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. NJPAC is a wheelchair accessible facility and provides assistive services such as TTY ticket purchase, designated seating, Sennheiser infrared listening devices and seat cushions.