Community members and children raise clenched fists during a call-and-response moment at a Kwanzaa celebration at Mecca Memphis in the Whitehaven Shopping Plaza on Dec. 29. (Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises/The Tri-State Defender)

Habari Gani!

Kwanzaa celebrations took place all over Memphis this holiday season, celebrating the Afrocentric holiday of family and culture from Dec. 26 through Jan. 1.

One of those celebrations happened Monday evening, Dec. 29 at MECCA Memphis in the Whitehaven Shopping Plaza to celebrate Ujamaa — cooperative economics.

Decked out in Afrocentric gear, families and children packed into the gallery/cultural space for a Kwanzaa celebration that blended ritual, storytelling and youth-centered participation. With African masks, carvings and artwork lining the walls, the room became both a gathering place and a living exhibit of African cultural expression.

TSD Photojournalist Gary S. Whitlow was on hand to capture the Watoto celebration and more. Check out these images!

Habari Gani! Scenes from a Ujamaa celebration at Mecca Memphis in the Whitehaven Shopping Plaza. (Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises/The Tri-State Defender)
A young participant reads from a prepared statement beside a Kwanzaa display during a Dec. 29 celebration at Mecca Memphis in the Whitehaven Shopping Plaza. (Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises/The Tri-State Defender)
Children gather near a Kwanzaa table display featuring fruit and traditional colors during a Dec. 29 celebration at Mecca Memphis in the Whitehaven Shopping Plaza. (Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises/The Tri-State Defender)
A participant lights candles on the kinara during a Dec. 29 Kwanzaa celebration at Mecca Memphis in the Whitehaven Shopping Plaza. (Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises/The Tri-State Defender)
Youth participants lead a song during a Dec. 29 Kwanzaa celebration at Mecca Memphis in the Whitehaven Shopping Plaza. (Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises/The Tri-State Defender)
A child holds up a book while a community member reads during a Dec. 29 Kwanzaa celebration at Mecca Memphis in the Whitehaven Shopping Plaza. (Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises/The Tri-State Defender)