Comics / Spotlight / Black Astronaut

Kwanzaa and Comics

By Hervé St-Louis
December 27, 2013 - 15:34

Kwanza is an African-American celebration that occurs during the Christmas holidays, usually between December 26 and December 31st. In comics, Kwanzaa has not made much of an appearance, except in cartoonist Ray Billingsley’s Curtis comic strip. Curtis is a comic strip featuring eleven-year-old Curtis, a black kid who lives in an apartment with his mother, his father and little brother. Although featuring African-American characters, Curtis is a comic strip whose humour is universal and focused on the antics of a boy growing up. While Curtis doesn’t seem to age much, always being eleven-year-old, Curtis’s family celebrate Black History Month and Kwanzaa every year.

Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday. It was first started in 1966 as an empowering festival for blacks around the world by African studies Professor Maulana Karenga as an alternative celebration during the holidays for American blacks. Kwanzaa is a celebration that welcomes every one, just like Curtis’s comic strip. You can follow Curtis’s adventures in several newspapers around the world or through King Features Syndicate.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12