"As a New Afrikan people, the experience of our Ancestors in Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas, et al – must be deified to spiritually empower us and to elevate the spirits of those who struggled in this hemisphere before us. Deifying the experience of our people means We will remember significant events of our Nation and make these events holy. We will honor the heroes and sheroes of our people. Their names should be sacred. Our nationalism should be spiritualized and our spirituality should be nationalized." - Vodunsi Alisogbo
New Afrikan Spirituality is integrative, it's based on our enslaved African Ancestors retention and blend of traditional African religious beliefs (Akan, Bakongo, Mandinka, Vodun, Yoruba, etc.) adapted to new world captivity in America. New Afrikan Spirituality is the Remembrance, Inspiration, Courage, and Self-Determination that has provided New Afrikan people inspiration and freedom methods; the tools to organize, to resist, to heal, to survive, and to succeed under domestic colonial 'racial oppression' by maintaining our beliefs, our integrated 'spiritual-cultural' way of life, and a sense of Land and Independence. One of the main tenets of New Afrikan spirituality is point #14 of the New Afrikan Creed: "i will keep myself clean in body, dress, and speech; knowing that i'm a light set on the hill, a true representative of what We are building."
New Afrikan NJIA Healing Ministry ~ Kwado Akomo Akofena
"A meeting of NJIA with the teachings of NJIA constitutes the beginning of reconstruction. NJIA engages in affirmation of the express symbol of the survival of spirit. It is an affirmation of the God–force in us. It seeks to awaken our deepest sensitivities to each other and our victorious postures toward the world.” ~ Molefi Kete Asante
The NJIA Healing Ministries is an integrative and pluralistic spiritual fellowship organized around the spirituality and culture of the people of Afrikan descent in north america. NJIA is a Kiswahili word that means “the ways of our Freedom Fighting Ancestors”. NJIA Healing Ministries usage of the cultural–spiritual concept 'NJIA' was influenced by Prof. Molefi Kete Asante and influenced by the theological writings of Prof. James H. Cone and Rev. Daniel Aldridge, Jr.
The spiritual principles and values of the NJIA Healing Ministries are derived from the New Afrikan Creed, as well as from New Afrikan history and experiences: autobiographical narratives, addresses, speeches, sermons, writings, essays, letters, literature, poetry, drama, dance, visual arts, vocal, instrumental music, and healing methods. The mission of NJIA Healing Ministries is guided by point #15 of the New Afrikan Creed: “I will be patient and up–lifting with the deaf, dumb, and blind; and I will seek by word and deed to heal the Black family; to bring into the Movement and into the Community, Mothers and Fathers, Brothers and Sisters left by the wayside”.
The NJIA Healing Ministries views the Creator/God as the Absolute and Infinite Spirit of a Spiritual Universe, in which all people of the world share an interdependent destiny. We believe the Creator demands Justice in the world and works through us to achieve His Will of Justice. Thus we adhere to a Spirituality of Liberation!!
The Creator is beyond the sum of the living process and the ultimate limits of our spiritual insight. With every deepening of our insights, every strengthening of our moral wills, every expansion of our moral wills, every expansion of our understanding of the truth, every experience of genuine community; the Creator will be better known, more reverently loved, and experienced more profoundly, both personally and collectively.
While each of the members of the NJIA Healing Ministries approach the Creator differently, our members are distinguished by their service to humanity and commitment to human rights and human liberation. The unity of our pluralistic fellowship is demonstrated more by deeds, rather than by any collective agreement to a creed or dogma.
New Afrikan NJIA Healing Ministries is guided by the following principles:
1. There is interconnectedness between all of life and nature, and humanity is a part of this interdependent network.
2. Spirituality is inherent in every aspect of life and therefore, there is no separation between the sacred and the secular.
3. Individualism is surrendered for the common good of the community and nature.
4. There is respect for the Ancestors in their real and symbolic presence. The Ancestors provide a continuous source of wisdom, guidance, examples, sacrifice, inspiration, vision, and victory.
5. Human behavior is judged in terms of its appropriateness in each particular circumstance.
6. The Creative employment of rhythm is a fundamental tenant of life and the celebration of that life.
7. Truth is respected, regardless of its sources, i.e. the world’s religions, secular sources, etc.
8. Respect for the inherent worth, dignity, and self–determination of all human beings.
Outreach Service
The NJIA Healing Ministries is involved in the day–to–day human rights struggles of Black people. We are also involved in prison ministries, bringing the redemptive spirit to our incarcerated brothers and sisters. Our prison ministries are based on restorative justice and recidivist prevention.
The NJIA Healing Circle - 'Ukumbuko Duara'
“NJIA is the collective expression of the Afrocentric worldview based in the historical experience of Afrikan people. The writings of NJIA are not the product of one or two minds; they are the cumulative experience of a whole people. NJIA is dynamic, processual, and flexible. A meeting of NJIA with the teachings of NJIA constitutes the beginning of reconstruction” ~ Molefi Kete Asante
“This cultural Revolution will be the journey to our rediscovery of ourselves. History is a people's memory, and without a memory man is demoted to the lower animals. Armed with the knowledge of the past, We can with confidence charter a course for our future. Culture is an indispensable weapon in the freedom struggle. We must take hold of it and forge the future with the past.” ~ Malcolm X
NJIA Ukumbuko Duara is the consistent process of coming together in a healing and empowerment circle to remember the ways of our Freedom Fighting Ancestors. This constant process is one of collective discovery. We discover ourselves on multiple levels, including historical, cultural, intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, and socioeconomic levels. The result of this discovery process is a collective audit. This audit helps us to understand who We are, our beliefs, emotions, expectations, attributions, mental models, needs, and plans of action.
The purpose of the NJIA Ukumbuko Duara is to Relocate Us toward victory, away from dislocation, toward freedom from oppression, on to the location of resistance and nation building: to regain self-determination and deal on our own terms. The NJIA Ukumbuko Duara is facilitated by the NJIA Kiongozi; this conductor must have integrity, honesty, competence, understanding, clarity of perspective, and objectivity.
The primary focus of NJIA Ukumbuko Duara is on cultural reclamation and national reconstruction: Rise, Rectify, Rebuild, Resource, Role-Model, Responsible, and Risking. The themes of the NJIA Ukumbuko Duara come from social investigation, from the masses to the masses; these findings are shared and discussed at the circle. The NJIA Ukumbuko Duara is based on the values of remembrance, truth, struggle, and endurance. The ways of our Freedom Fighting Ancestors provide us with inspiration, sacrifice, vision, and victory. Circle participants should ask themselves the following questions after each gathering:
1) What have i learned about myself today?
2) What has affected me the most today?
3) Are there actions to take? If so, what are they?
4) What is Our, My next step?
***********************************************************************************************************
And then I ask you the question: What kind of God do you worship? What’s the name of him? Who taught you to praise him? Is this the God you were praying to before you were brought to these shores? Is this the religion you had before you were brought to these shores? Can you name one African God? How can you then define yourself, the very essence of yourself, and the very essence of your soul, and organize the very nature of your life here on earth based on a God handed to us by our slave masters and you claim that you have no slave consciousness?” – Amos Wilson
"A meeting of NJIA with the teachings of NJIA constitutes the beginning of reconstruction. NJIA engages in affirmation of the express symbol of the survival of spirit. It is an affirmation of the God–force in us. It seeks to awaken our deepest sensitivities to each other and our victorious postures toward the world.” ~ Molefi Kete Asante
The NJIA Healing Ministries is an integrative and pluralistic spiritual fellowship organized around the spirituality and culture of the people of Afrikan descent in north america. NJIA is a Kiswahili word that means “the ways of our Freedom Fighting Ancestors”. NJIA Healing Ministries usage of the cultural–spiritual concept 'NJIA' was influenced by Prof. Molefi Kete Asante and influenced by the theological writings of Prof. James H. Cone and Rev. Daniel Aldridge, Jr.
The spiritual principles and values of the NJIA Healing Ministries are derived from the New Afrikan Creed, as well as from New Afrikan history and experiences: autobiographical narratives, addresses, speeches, sermons, writings, essays, letters, literature, poetry, drama, dance, visual arts, vocal, instrumental music, and healing methods. The mission of NJIA Healing Ministries is guided by point #15 of the New Afrikan Creed: “I will be patient and up–lifting with the deaf, dumb, and blind; and I will seek by word and deed to heal the Black family; to bring into the Movement and into the Community, Mothers and Fathers, Brothers and Sisters left by the wayside”.
The NJIA Healing Ministries views the Creator/God as the Absolute and Infinite Spirit of a Spiritual Universe, in which all people of the world share an interdependent destiny. We believe the Creator demands Justice in the world and works through us to achieve His Will of Justice. Thus we adhere to a Spirituality of Liberation!!
The Creator is beyond the sum of the living process and the ultimate limits of our spiritual insight. With every deepening of our insights, every strengthening of our moral wills, every expansion of our moral wills, every expansion of our understanding of the truth, every experience of genuine community; the Creator will be better known, more reverently loved, and experienced more profoundly, both personally and collectively.
While each of the members of the NJIA Healing Ministries approach the Creator differently, our members are distinguished by their service to humanity and commitment to human rights and human liberation. The unity of our pluralistic fellowship is demonstrated more by deeds, rather than by any collective agreement to a creed or dogma.
New Afrikan NJIA Healing Ministries is guided by the following principles:
1. There is interconnectedness between all of life and nature, and humanity is a part of this interdependent network.
2. Spirituality is inherent in every aspect of life and therefore, there is no separation between the sacred and the secular.
3. Individualism is surrendered for the common good of the community and nature.
4. There is respect for the Ancestors in their real and symbolic presence. The Ancestors provide a continuous source of wisdom, guidance, examples, sacrifice, inspiration, vision, and victory.
5. Human behavior is judged in terms of its appropriateness in each particular circumstance.
6. The Creative employment of rhythm is a fundamental tenant of life and the celebration of that life.
7. Truth is respected, regardless of its sources, i.e. the world’s religions, secular sources, etc.
8. Respect for the inherent worth, dignity, and self–determination of all human beings.
Outreach Service
The NJIA Healing Ministries is involved in the day–to–day human rights struggles of Black people. We are also involved in prison ministries, bringing the redemptive spirit to our incarcerated brothers and sisters. Our prison ministries are based on restorative justice and recidivist prevention.
The NJIA Healing Circle - 'Ukumbuko Duara'
“NJIA is the collective expression of the Afrocentric worldview based in the historical experience of Afrikan people. The writings of NJIA are not the product of one or two minds; they are the cumulative experience of a whole people. NJIA is dynamic, processual, and flexible. A meeting of NJIA with the teachings of NJIA constitutes the beginning of reconstruction” ~ Molefi Kete Asante
“This cultural Revolution will be the journey to our rediscovery of ourselves. History is a people's memory, and without a memory man is demoted to the lower animals. Armed with the knowledge of the past, We can with confidence charter a course for our future. Culture is an indispensable weapon in the freedom struggle. We must take hold of it and forge the future with the past.” ~ Malcolm X
NJIA Ukumbuko Duara is the consistent process of coming together in a healing and empowerment circle to remember the ways of our Freedom Fighting Ancestors. This constant process is one of collective discovery. We discover ourselves on multiple levels, including historical, cultural, intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, and socioeconomic levels. The result of this discovery process is a collective audit. This audit helps us to understand who We are, our beliefs, emotions, expectations, attributions, mental models, needs, and plans of action.
The purpose of the NJIA Ukumbuko Duara is to Relocate Us toward victory, away from dislocation, toward freedom from oppression, on to the location of resistance and nation building: to regain self-determination and deal on our own terms. The NJIA Ukumbuko Duara is facilitated by the NJIA Kiongozi; this conductor must have integrity, honesty, competence, understanding, clarity of perspective, and objectivity.
The primary focus of NJIA Ukumbuko Duara is on cultural reclamation and national reconstruction: Rise, Rectify, Rebuild, Resource, Role-Model, Responsible, and Risking. The themes of the NJIA Ukumbuko Duara come from social investigation, from the masses to the masses; these findings are shared and discussed at the circle. The NJIA Ukumbuko Duara is based on the values of remembrance, truth, struggle, and endurance. The ways of our Freedom Fighting Ancestors provide us with inspiration, sacrifice, vision, and victory. Circle participants should ask themselves the following questions after each gathering:
1) What have i learned about myself today?
2) What has affected me the most today?
3) Are there actions to take? If so, what are they?
4) What is Our, My next step?
***********************************************************************************************************
And then I ask you the question: What kind of God do you worship? What’s the name of him? Who taught you to praise him? Is this the God you were praying to before you were brought to these shores? Is this the religion you had before you were brought to these shores? Can you name one African God? How can you then define yourself, the very essence of yourself, and the very essence of your soul, and organize the very nature of your life here on earth based on a God handed to us by our slave masters and you claim that you have no slave consciousness?” – Amos Wilson
