WASHINGTON —  A multicultural crowd turned out for a Kwanzaa celebration in D.C.’s Anacostia community on Saturday. The performance, by the KanKouran West African Dance Company, is part of an effort by the Anacostia Community Museum to help this increasingly diverse area learn about other cultures.

“We learn about somebody else,” says Tony Thomas, educational programmer for the museum. “It makes the world a better place.”

There were smiles and claps all around; the dancers dipped and twirled to drum beats at the Fort Stanton Recreation Center.

Roger Dillow’s 4-year-old granddaughter, Cecile, was also going to dance. He says he doesn’t celebrate Kwanzaa, but “it’s part of our whole cultural tapestry.”

Elena Temple-Webb brought her daugter, Eva, to celebrate the holiday.

“My daughter is 3 and I want her to understand what Kwanzaa is,” Temple-Webb said.

So she explained the principle of Kujichagulia — Self-Determination — in the simplest terms: “Have confidence and believe in yourself.”

WTOP’s Allison Keyes contributed to this report.

Follow @WTOP on Twitter and WTOP on Facebook.