imani - faith

"the seventh principle of the nguzo saba is imani, faith, which is essentially a profound belief in and commitment to all that is of value to us as a family, community, people and culture. in the context of African spirituality, it begins with a belief in the creator and the positiveness of the creation and logically leads to a belief in the essential goodness and possibility of the human personality. for in all African spiritual traditions, from egypt on, it is taught that we are in the image of the creator and thus capable of ultimate righteousness and creativity through self-mastery and development in the context of positive support. therefore, faith in ourselves is key here, faith in our capacity as humans to live righteously, self-correct, support, care for and be responsible for each other and eventually create the just and good society, and better world."

*excerpted from "kawaida" by maulana karenga, pg.72