“Ho, Ho, HOTEP,” Kente Claus reminds everyone to seek peace in their very busy and demanding lives

BY PAUL JUNOR

It has been five years now since Kente Claus made his appearance on the Canadian and American scene. Dewitt Lee III who transformed himself into Kente Claus is described as, “Canada’s first Africentric Claus.” The first event that Kente Claus participated in was in December 2017. Lee described the origin of Kente Claus in 2016 as a means “To bring joy to children and pride to my community during Christmas.”

Despite being recruited by the Claus Corporation to give away toys in Africa and the Caribbean, Lee has stayed true to his spiritual conviction. It is simply “To bring Christ back into Christmas by telling the story of the First Christmas in Africa.”

Kente is a type of fabric used in traditional clothing from Ghana. It’s a colourful fabric that is also part of storytelling. For Lee, the traditional story of the family of Jesus escaping to Egypt hearkens to the first Christmas in Africa. Lee connects this story directly to Toronto. He states, “To be able to tell the story of a refugee is very important because we are a sanctuary city here in Toronto. We call people who are persecuted and open our doors.”

In the promotional material about the legend of Kente Claus, Lee describes how he receives two words from God, “Kente Claus” as a direct revelation. From his search on the internet, he discovered that Kente Claus was previously introduced to the world a decade earlier. He states, “There was only one year of headlines to reference, but it provided all of the answers I was seeking. At that moment, the mission and mantle of Kente Claus was born.”

The impetus for Lee to proceed with Kente Claus came after he learned that the Mall of America would be launching the first Black Santa Claus. Lee is clear about the significance of Kente Claus. For him, “What makes this different, is that Kente Claus is not a replacement of Santa Claus, but a colleague at the Claus Corporation.”

Since 2017, Kente Claus, the Claus with a cause, has been involved in several charitable events in Africa, the Caribbean and America. Lee states, “Every year, Kente Claus travels to North America to collect toys for Black youth around the world, to ensure that Christ is kept in Christmas and to remind the world, this is a season of family, giving and love.” Kente Claus starts off his “December to Remember” tour in Buffalo at the African American Heritage Corridor and continues in Toronto. On January 7^th, Lee will celebrate the Orthodox Christmas in Egypt, Africa, and all over the world.

It is important for Lee that the commercial Ho Ho Ho that Santa often chants is replaced with “Ho, Ho, HOTEP,” which when translated means peace. Lee notes, “This symbol and slogan combined is to convey a message to everyone to seek peace in their very busy and demanding lives, especially during Christmas. A gentle reminder to be grateful, thankful, and fruitful.”

Kente Claus made appearances inside Woodbine Mall near Fantasy Fair on: Sunday, December 11^th, Monday, December 12^th, and on Thursday, December 15^th, and Friday, December 16^th. On Saturday, December 10^th, he made an appearance at the Afwi Holiday Market in Pickering, Ontario.

Anyone interested in Kente Claus can follow him on these social media platforms:

Facebook: Kente Claus

Twitter: @kenteclaus

Instagram:kenteclaus