introduction of essay explain the concept of ubuntu

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'i am because we are': the african philosophy of ubuntu.

Steve Paulson (TTBOOK)

Rene Descartes is often called the first modern philosopher, and his famous saying, “I think, therefore I am,” laid the groundwork for how we conceptualize our sense of self. But what if there’s an entirely different way to think about personal identity — a non-Western philosophy that rejects this emphasis on individuality?

Consider the African philosophy of “ubuntu” — a concept in which your sense of self is shaped by your relationships with other people. It’s a way of living that begins with the premise that “I am” only because “we are.” The Kenyan literary scholar James Ogude believes ubuntu might serve as a counterweight to the rampant individualism that’s so pervasive in the contemporary world.

"Ubuntu is rooted in what I call a relational form of personhood, basically meaning that you are because of the others," said Ogude, speaking to Steve Paulson and Anne Strainchamps in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. "In other words, as a human being, you—your humanity, your personhood—you are fostered in relation to other people."

In practice, ubuntu means believing the common bonds within a group are more important than any individual arguments and divisions within it. "People will debate, people will disagree; it's not like there are no tensions," said Ogude. "It is about coming together and building a consensus around what affects the community. And once you have debated, then it is understood what is best for the community, and then you have to buy into that."

Archbishop Desmond Tutu drew on the concept of ubuntu when he led South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which helped South Africa reckon with its history of apartheid. Ubuntu promotes restorative justice and a community-centric ethos. "We have the ability, as people, to dig into our human values, to go for the best of them, in order to bring about healing and to bridge the gap," Ogude said. This idea also extends to our relationships with the non-human world of rivers, plants and animals.

Ogude spoke with Steve and Anne at the first African Humanities Workshop, which took place at the University of Addis Ababa. The workshop was sponsored by the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes (CHCI). Here's an excerpt from the transcript of their conversation, which you can find on IDEA S, a publication published by CHCI.

Steve Paulson: We've been talking about ubuntu in this legal sense of how to redress wrongs, and I am wondering at the more everyday level, how ubuntu plays out. I'm thinking in terms of what constitutes “a good life.” In the West, that concept seems to be rooted in the concept of selfhood: how I think about, or know, myself or the course of my life and achievements. It's not necessarily defined by my relationship with other people. Is there a different way of thinking about the self in this African tradition you've been describing? James Ogude: There's a sense in which ubuntu as a concept, and the African communitarian ethos, imposes a sense of moral obligation regarding your responsibility for others even before you think of yourself. You must, as the Russian critic Bakhtin would say, look into another person’s eyes and have that person return the gaze. When the gaze is returned, that recognition is what humanizes you. SP: There's empathy built into it. JO: An empathy, yes, there's empathy, there's trust, that is built in this process. That, for me, is the moral obligation that sometimes is absent when undue emphasis is placed on individualism and the self, when it’s “all about me,” and everybody else comes second. Yet, even the West is haunted by other, competing, values such as human rights. There have always been movements in the West that have prioritized the other over the self. That's why all human beings fundamentally have a certain element of conscience even when our societies may push us to be individualistic. A measure of responsibility is part of our obligation, whether it comes to us through religion or a moral obligation of duty to others.

You can read the full conversation on IDEAS .

James Ogude

1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology

Philosophy, One Thousand Words at a Time

The African Ethic of Ubuntu

Author: Thaddeus Metz Categories: Ethics , Social and Political Philosophy , African Philosophy Word Count: 998

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The word “ubuntu” is from some southern African languages and it literally means “humanness.” To have ubuntu is to be a person who is living a genuinely human way of life, whereas to lack ubuntu is to be missing human excellence.

Black people indigenous to Africa commonly believe that one’s basic aim in life should be to exhibit ubuntu, which is done by prizing communal relationships with other people.

This essay reviews this concept and how it informs both the good life and how to act morally.

1. Ubuntu as Cultivating One’s Humanity

Desmond Tutu, South Africa’s renowned Nobel Peace Prize winner, remarks, “When we want to give high praise to someone, we say Yu u nobuntu ; Hey, so-and-so has ubuntu .” [1] For many black African cultures, the more one displays ubuntu, that is, develops human excellence, the better one’s life.

This conception of the good life distinguishes two possible ways of living, an animal life and a human one, and claims that one ought to live a genuinely human way of life and avoid living in the manner of a beast or subhuman.

Mogobe Ramose, who has developed a philosophy on ubuntu, says, “One is enjoined, yes, commanded as it were, to actually become a human being.” [2] If someone fails to do so, then many Africans would say of him, “He is not a person” or even “He is an animal.” [3] They would be claiming that, although we are biologically human beings, someone who does not live well has failed to develop the valuable aspects of their human nature. [4]

A self-realization ethic of this sort differs from other conceptions of the good life, particularly those popular among contemporary Western psychologists and philosophers. Most strikingly, this ethic does not focus on hedonic considerations, such as an individual’s pleasure or satisfaction, features that humans share with animals.

2. Ubuntu and Communal Relationship

Many black African societies sum up one’s proper basic aim in life with phrases such as “A person is a person through other persons” or “I am because we are.” [5] These maxims include prescriptive or normative meanings: they instruct one to become a real person or to realize one’s true self, and to do so by relating to other people in certain ways.

More specifically, sub-Saharan conceptions of the good life characteristically understand self-realization in terms of communal or harmonious relationships. Augustine Shutte, one of the first moral philosophers to seriously engage with ubuntu, says:

Our deepest moral obligation is to become more fully human. And this means entering more and more deeply into community with others. So although the goal is personal fulfilment, selfishness is excluded. [6]

So an ubuntu ethic focuses on self-realization, but is also communitarian in nature. This community (or harmony) is an ideal form of interaction between people, a type of relating that people ought to strive to create and to maintain.

Community, or communal relationship, is usefully analyzed as the combination of two interactions: identifying with others and exhibiting solidarity with them. [7]

To identify with others is for people to treat themselves as members of the same group: to conceive of themselves as a “we,” to take pride or feel shame in others’ activities, and to engage in joint projects, coordinating to achieve shared or at least compatible ends.

Solidarity , in part, involves engaging in helpful behavior, acting in ways that are reasonably expected to benefit others. Solidarity involves attitudes, emotions and motives being positively oriented toward others’ good, say, by sympathizing and helping them for their sake.

To see some of the appeal of grounding self-realization on prizing such a communal conception of interaction with others, consider that the union of identifying with others and exhibiting solidarity with them is basically what English speakers mean by a broad sense of “friendship” (or even “love”). Speaking of an African perspective on ethics, Tutu remarks, “Harmony, friendliness, community are great goods.” [8]

There are similarities between a conception of the good life grounded on ideals of ubuntu and Western notions of eudaimonia and virtue. For Aristotle, there is a significant self-regarding element to self-realization, such as theoretical contemplation or self-control, that does not essentially involve other persons (although it often might in practice). In contrast, according to many salient sub-Saharan worldviews, one is to realize oneself solely through others. Realizing oneself is exhausted by exhibiting other-regard, an approach that is attractive at least insofar as we are considering the moral virtues. [9]

3. Ubuntu and Action

Concretely, what is involved in realizing oneself through communal or harmonious relationships with others?

The sub-Saharan tradition characteristically answers this question by appealing to a variety of virtues. [10] One exhibits excellence insofar as one displays character traits such as politeness, kindness, sympathy, compassion, benevolence, altruism, sacrifice, forgiveness, mercy, and tolerance.

It might be thought that realizing oneself by prizing friendliness in these ways demands pacifism, but that is probably not true. By acting in unfriendly or conflicting ways when necessary (and likely) to prevent crime, which involves disrespect and harm, one arguably prizes friendliness and community.

This conception of the good life is meant to guide individuals in the choices they make, and it has also influenced societal decision-making in African societies. Contemporary African intellectuals and policy makers often appeal to ubuntu when thinking about how to organize public and other large-scale institutions. [11] These organizations ought to improve people’s lives, and so they should be structured in ways that foster ubuntu, a plausible view of how best to live. [12]

4. Conclusion

Ubuntu as an ethical perspective and way of life has been in existence for several hundred years among sub-Saharan peoples, even if written scholarship on the topic is new. Ideals associated with ubuntu are one major source of such inspiration, and not merely to those living below the Sahara desert, since its values should be of interest to global readers.

Is the quality of human life enhanced merely by people feeling good, as per a typical contemporary Western approach, or is it better promoted by people exhibiting virtues that are ways of being a friendly person? [13]

[1] Tutu, 1999, 31

[2] Ramose, 1999, 52.

[3] Bhengu, 1996, 27.

[4] Mnyaka & Motlhabi, 2005, 224–226, 236.

[5] E.g., Mandela, 2013, 227; Mkhize, 2008, 40; Mnyaka & Motlhabi, 2005, 218; Tutu, 1999, 35.

[6] Shutte, 2001, 30; see also Mnyaka & Motlhabi, 2005, 221–228; Tutu, 1999, 35.

[7] These definitional remarks borrow from Metz, 2011, 537–540. Communal or harmonious relationship with others that confer ubuntu on a person is understood as the combination of identity and solidarity. As one South African intellectual, Nkondo, 2007, 91, remarks, “If you asked ubuntu advocates: What principles inform and organise your life?…. the answers would express commitment to the good of the community in which their identities were formed, and a need to experience their lives as part of their community.”

[8] Tutu, 1999, 35.

[9] See Metz & Gaie, 2010, 275; Mnyaka & Motlhabi, 2005, 222–228.

[10] See, e.g., Gyekye, 2010; Mnyaka & Motlhabi, 2005; Paris, 1995, 129–156.

[11] See, e.g., Eze, 2010; Murove, 2009; Nkondo, 2007.

[12] Consider two examples from a South African context. First, an ubuntu ethic was largely responsible for the formation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that famously dealt with apartheid-era crimes in a non-retributive manner (Tutu, 1999). Second, South Africa’s Constitutional Court appealed to the value of ubuntu in order to judge the death penalty to be inconsistent with the right to life and value of human dignity represented in its Bill of Rights (Cornell & Muvangua, 2011, 65–94).

[13] This essay has been adapted and reprinted with permission from Springer Nature: Metz T. (2014) Ubuntu: The Good Life. In: Michalos A.C. (ed.) Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research . Springer, Dordrecht. The Editors thank Professor Metz for making this edited and abridged version of his essay available for readers of 1000-Word Philosophy .

Bhengu, M. J. (1996). Ubuntu: The essence of democracy . Cape Town, South Africa: Novalis Press.

Cornell, D., & Muvangua, N. (Eds.). (2011). Ubuntu and the law: African ideals and postapartheid jurisprudence . New York: Fordham University Press.

Eze, M. O. (2010). Intellectual history in contemporary South Africa . New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Gyekye, K. (2010). “African ethics.” In E. Zalta (Ed.), Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy .

Mandela, N. (2013).  Nelson Mandela by himself: The authorised book of quotations , S. Hatang and S. Venter, (Eds). Johannesburg, South Africa: Pan Macmillan.

Metz, T. (2011). Ubuntu as a moral theory and human rights in South Africa. African Human Rights Law Journal , 11, 532–559.

Metz, T., & Gaie, J. (2010). The African ethic of ubuntu/ botho: Implications for research on morality. Journal of Moral Education , 39, 273–290.

Mkhize, N. (2008). Ubuntu and harmony: An African approach to morality and ethics. In R. Nicolson (Ed.), Persons in community: African ethics in a global culture (pp. 35–44). Pietermaritzburg, South Africa: University of KwaZulu-Natal Press.

Mnyaka, M., & Motlhabi, M. (2005). The African concept of ubuntu/botho and its socio-moral significance. Black Theology , 3, 215–237.

Murove, M. F. (Ed.). (2009). African ethics: An anthology of comparative and applied ethics. Pietermaritzburg, South Africa: University of KwaZulu-Natal Press.

Nkondo, G. M. (2007). Ubuntu as a public policy in South Africa: A conceptual framework. International Journal of African Renaissance Studies , 2, 88–100.

Paris, P. (1995). The spirituality of African peoples. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.

Ramose, M. (1999). African philosophy through ubuntu . Harare, Zimbabwe: Mond Books.

Shutte, A. (2001). Ubuntu: An ethic for the new South Africa . Cape Town, South Africa: Cluster Publications.

Tutu, D. (1999). No future without forgiveness . New York: Random House.

For Further Reading

Gaie, J. (2007). The Setswana concept of  botho : Unpacking the metaphysical and moral aspects. In J. Gaie and S. Mmolai (Eds),  The concept of botho and HIV/AIDS in Botswana . Eldoret, Kenya: Zapf Chancery, pp. 29-43.

Khoza, R. (1994).  Ubuntu, botho, vumunhu, vhuthu, African humanism . Sandton: Ekhaya Promotions.

Metz, T. (2007). Toward an African moral theory. Journal of Political Philosophy , 15, 321-341.

Mokgoro, Y. (1998).  Ubuntu  and the law in South Africa.  Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal , 1, 15-26.

Murove, M. F. (2016).  African moral consciousness . London: Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd.

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About the Author

Thaddeus Metz is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. Professor Metz has published about 250 scholarly papers in value theory and in moral, political and legal philosophy, about half of which address African philosophy. www.up.ac.za/philosophy/article/2923571/preview?module=cms&slug=content-item&id=2923571

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“I Am Because We Are”: Introducing Ubuntu Philosophy

The African Ubuntu philosophy recognizes our interconnectedness with our community. Through this interconnectedness, you can obtain a sense of belonging in the world.

If you think about philosophy, it is probable that many Western thinkers come to mind. Plato, Descartes, Kant; all are native to countries on the European continent. What is often overlooked, however, are the philosophical traditions on other continents that have been unfolding over hundreds—if not thousands—of years. The philosophy of Ubuntu is one of those traditions. Originating in the Bantu and Xhosa people of Southern Africa and popularized by Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela, the Ubuntu philosophy embodies a communal ethos that emphasizes shared responsibility, trust in each other, and interconnectedness among the community.

It’s In the Name: The Etymology and Oral Tradition of Ubuntu Philosophy

Ubuntu moves away from the Cartesian quote ‘ I think, therefore I am ’, which takes the individual as a source of knowledge. Rather, the proverb umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu is central to Ubuntu, translating to ‘a person is a person through other persons’. The source of knowledge is, therefore, the community, not the individual. Therefore, we could say that for Ubuntu, ‘I am because we are’.

If we take a look at the name ‘Ubuntu’ itself, we can identify two syllables: ‘ubu’ and ‘-ntu’. ‘Ubu’, in Nguni Bantu languages, refers to the social nature of humans, underscoring the idea that individuals are interconnected: they share a common humanity. On the other hand, ‘-ntu’ refers to the uniqueness of every individual.

If we understand the syllables and their meaning, it is not hard to work out the central idea of Ubuntu: a thorough recognition of the interconnectedness of human beings while acknowledging the inherent worth of every individual. All persons have something to offer, and not one expertise in life should prevail over the other.

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Please check your inbox to activate your subscription, the value of words and beyond: ubuntu proverbs.

The intellectual meaning of Ubuntu philosophy is encapsulated in central proverbs, like umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu . Through oral tradition, these proverbs and phrases get passed on, continuously educating new generations on the values of Ubuntu. While just these words and phrases don’t tell the full story, they do teach us some fundamental basics of the philosophy.

Take, for example, ‘ ballaan fira qabu ila qaba’ , which roughly translates to ‘a blind person who has relatives can see.’ Or ‘ kujikama, uryengi kanthu ndi wala, kusoka uwengi waka ’, which roughly translates to ‘kneeling, you eat with elders; keep standing, you eat nothing.’ On closer inspection, we can see that both proverbs have some implied value statements.

The first one indicates the role of the community in generating a sense of self and a sense of belonging. By being connected to your community, the Bantu philosophy teaches us to trust your community members so that you are aware of the consequences of your actions—be it in relation to the community or to nature.

The second proverb indicates the importance of sharing a meal together and showing respect while doing it. While eating is a necessity, the proverb that translates to ‘kneeling, you eat with elders; keep standing, you eat nothing’ indicates that ‘eating’ in itself has little value. It’s only when you sit down and eat with your elders that the meal has an intrinsic, holistic, and moral value to it: it gives you an opportunity to learn from their wisdom.

The proverbs indicate a certain form of embodied knowledge. This is helped by the fact that the Bantu languages are more sophisticated than the English language. This allows for expressing more profound statements when compared to English expressions. The knowledge encapsulated in proverbs is passed on from generation to generation through oral tradition, even teaching people outside Africa about the cornerstones of Ubuntu. However, Ubuntu can only be really understood through its practical application.

Living is the Only Way Toward Understanding

While understanding the meaning of some proverbs is valuable as an introduction, the philosophy exceeds the mere words and phrases that are common in the oral tradition. As anyone remotely acquainted with the overall idea of philosophy, this might seem a bit strange. After all, statues like ‘ the Thinker ’ or the metaphorical image of the ‘armchair philosopher’ resemble the projection that most people have about people who practice philosophy. In other words, in the academic tradition, philosophy often restricts itself to the theoretical and hypothetical realm. However, different geographical spaces bring different worldviews, and Ubuntu does not exist without its practical application.

The only way to comprehend the interpersonal dynamics you have with others is through living. In turn, this allows the development of a sense of self and belonging, as one starts understanding their unique worth in relation to the community. Additionally, it allows the person to understand the cultural context one finds themselves in, as well as the impact of one’s behavior on the collective well-being of the community. Because of this, every member of the community can flourish in their own way while being thoroughly respected for their uniqueness by the community members.

How Conflict Resolution Exemplifies Ubuntu Philosophy

The most tangible example of why Ubuntu philosophy can only be understood through living comes from conflict resolution. Conflict resolution is applied to either local problems that involve theft or other forms of criminality, or to grander structural problems like the consequences of colonialism and apartheid. Both approaches are rooted in actively gathering with members of the community and restoring relationships.

In the instance of theft or other forms of criminality, the community can get together and reflect on the implications of the crime for the wider communities or affected individuals. The traditional jurisprudence of Ubuntu revolves around the concept of unhu , which acknowledges that crimes committed by one individual have far going consequences, exceeding the offender and the affected persons involved. Through dialogue and trust, a ‘punishment’ is formulated.

However, one might wonder if this is an actual punishment in the true sense of the word. Rather, the focus is on healing the relationship between the offender and the community. Dialogue, apology, and education are central, as opposed to giving the offender a fine or a jail sentence. From an Ubuntu perspective, one might indeed wonder what the value of incarceration is if the relationship with the community is never restored. For if it’s never restored, it will certainly happen again.

On the grander and more structural level relating to the consequences of colonialism and apartheid, Ubuntu offers similar healing processes. To address historical injustices, promote reconciliation, and manifest social cohesion, collective healing ceremonies and memorial services are essential. These allow the community to accept past violations, recognize the consequences for the present, and create a just path forward for the future.

The focus is on the spiritual essence of the community members, which is deemed the highest value of a person: it is considered essential for the expression of character. The bad spirits—in this case, the ongoing consequences of apartheid and colonialism—are to be ‘killed’ with kindness. Through the communal process of recognition and healing, the dreadful past can be ‘killed’ and replaced with contemporary values like inclusivity and trust—which are defined by the characters in the community.

How a Community Can Be More Than Living People

The role of spirituality in Ubuntu is already evident from the conflict resolution mechanisms we just mentioned. Still, spiritual importance goes beyond conflict resolution. It also has implications for what is perceived to be the community. In order to understand the foundational role of spirituality in relation to the community, we need to understand what spirituality in Ubuntu encompasses. Mayer and Wallach define this as follows :

  Spirituality is the habit of being oriented towards and motivated by a reality    beyond the immediate needs and wants of our ego. This habit stems from    some kind of immediate experience of reality. Experience means that an    insight is holistic, comprising cognition, emotion, and motivation or behavior.

So really, spirituality in Ubuntu doesn’t implicate a ‘higher spirit’ that informs every action and move of people. Rather, it focuses on all the experiences taking place in the earthly realm; simultaneously affirming the idea that Ubuntu needs to be lived in order to be understood properly. Through living and spiritual health, one starts to gain an understanding about every relationship that is fundamental for the life of the individual.

Because of this holistic approach, the recognition of community is allowed to go beyond the living humans that are part of a community. It means that the individual understands that all influences form their current being. Beyond people living and dead, what influences and forms the individual? According to Ubuntu, the community consists of all living beings in the natural world, the relations between humans and other living beings, but also the cosmos, social events, and the ancestors.

The ‘Be’ Before ‘Being’ in Ubuntu Philosophy

How should we understand the idea that deceased ancestors and nature are part of the community? It mostly has to do with respecting what previous generations and the natural world have already built for you. The living individual that lives according to Ubuntu principles will acknowledge that many beings have shaped—and will continue to shape—the reality that one is born into. After all, the fertile ground in your garden or the house that you’re living in from childbirth onwards didn’t pop up the moment you were born. Just like the community, they were there already; something that should be thoroughly acknowledged and respected. Your ancestors and the natural world created the environment for you ‘to be.’ By acknowledging your foundation, you can now start ‘being’ the person you are.

What Does “I Think, Therefore I Am” Really Mean?

By Maup van de Kerkhof MSc Int'l Dev, Essayist & Researcher Through his studies and volunteering experiences, Maup has worked with many different cultural groups in various countries. Understanding a distant culture gives him a deep satisfaction, something which he tries to pursue throughout his professional life. He holds an MSc in International Development with a specialization in Inclusive Innovation and Communication. Additionally, he is interdisciplinary trained in anthropology, sociology, philosophy, and political sciences. Maup is also an essayist and commissioning editor, where he commissions work relating to decolonizing the processes and organizations active in the global community like the UN or WTO.

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• Understanding The Meaning Of Ubuntu...

Understanding the Meaning of Ubuntu: A Proudly South African Philosophy

Freelance Writer - instagram.com/andrewthompsonsa

South Africa is a country that carries massive collective trauma. The political system of institutionalised racism, called apartheid, was devastating for the majority of the population. Yet, in spite of the painful, oppressive system, many of those most deeply affected by it rose up and remained resolute and united – with some crediting one philosophical concept, that of ubuntu , as a guiding ideal.

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The presence of ubuntu is still widely referenced in South Africa , more than two decades after the end of apartheid. It’s a compact term from the Nguni languages of Zulu and Xhosa that carries a fairly broad English definition of “a quality that includes the essential human virtues of compassion and humanity”.

In modern South Africa, though, it’s often simplified further and used by politicians, public figures and the general public as a catch-all phase for the country’s moral ideals, spirit of togetherness, ability to work together towards a common goal or to refer to examples of collective humanity.

Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first democratically elected president, in a preface to Richard Stengel’s Mandela’s Way: Fifteen Lessons on Life, Love, and Courage (2009), encapsulated the many interpretations by calling ubuntu an African concept that means “the profound sense that we are human only through the humanity of others; that if we are to accomplish anything in this world, it will in equal measure be due to the work and achievements of others”.

A concept from the mid-1800s

The history of ubuntu shows that it is not a new concept, though – it’s one that Christian Gade, who wrote about it in a paper published by Aarhus University, says dates as far back as 1846.

“The analysis shows that in written sources published prior to 1950, it appears that ubuntu is always defined as a human quality,” said Gade. “At different stages during the second half of the 1900s, some authors began to define ubuntu more broadly: definitions included ubuntu as African humanism, a philosophy, an ethic and as a worldview.”

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But as Gade points out, in spite of the ubuntu’s term history, it gained prominence more recently – primarily during transitions from white minority rule to black majority rule – in both South Africa, and neighbouring Zimbabwe .

“Of course, the search for African dignity in postcolonial Africa did not begin with the literature on ubuntu that was published during the periods of transition to black majority rule in Zimbabwe and South Africa,” said Gade.

Prior to these periods of political transition, Gade said, the search for African dignity was reflected in the thinking of many influential postcolonial African leaders – and has much to do with restoring dignity once the colonisers had moved on.

“Some of the narratives that were told to restore African dignity in the former colonies, which gained their independence in the late 1950s and 1960s, can be characterised as narratives of return,” said Gade, “since they contain the idea that a return to something African (for instance traditional African socialism or humanism) is necessary in order for society to prosper.”

An inappropriate term for modern South Africa

Much like the Danish philosophy of hygge, though, a lot is lost in the English translation, simplification and popularisation of the term. And this had lead some to criticise its use – especially in a modern South African context.

Thaddeus Metz, professor of philosophy at the University of Johannesburg, said that the term and ideas associated with ubuntu are often “deemed to be an inappropriate basis for a public morality” in present-day South Africa – for three broad reasons.

“One is that they are too vague; a second is that they fail to acknowledge the value of individual freedom; and a third is that they fit traditional, small-scale culture more than a modern, industrial society,” Metz wrote in an article published in the African Human Rights Law Journal.

Popular radio host, author and political commentator Eusebius McKaiser was quoted in the African Human Rights Law Journal saying that the term has several interpretations, and in a legal context is largely undefinable. He called it “a terribly opaque notion not fit as a normative moral principle that can guide our actions, let alone be a transparent and substantive basis for legal adjudication”.

Ubuntu embodied by Desmond Tutu

In spite of its potential shortcomings and misuses, ubuntu is a term that has a demonstrated the ability to unite the country towards common good – with many choosing a definition that bests applies to their circumstances.

Brand South Africa , an organisation mandated to develop and articulate the country’s national brand and identity, and to manage the country’s reputation, regularly uses the term in its messaging.

In 2013, the government made the plea for South Africans to “live with ubuntu” – although as Brand South Africa points out, this has different meanings for different people. “Goodness Ncube, a shoe salesman in Killarney, Johannesburg , defines ubuntu as the ability to relate to each other. Tabitha Mahaka, a Zimbabwean expatriate, believes it is about feeling at home in a foreign country. And Ismail Bennet, a store manager, has not even heard of the term,” Brand South Africa reported on its website.

But if there is one South African who can be credited with popularising, and embodying, the philosophical concept of ubuntu to its fullest, it’s Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Tutu fought vehemently against apartheid, but also chaired the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, under the principal of restorative justice.

As Metz points out, Tutu, who defined ubuntu as “I participate, I share”, drew on the principles of ubuntu to guide South Africa’s reconciliatory approach to apartheid-era crimes.

“As is well known, Tutu maintained that, by ubuntu, democratic South Africa was right to deal with apartheid-era political crimes by seeking reconciliation or restorative justice,” Metz wrote in an article for The Conversation .

Instead of emphasising the differences between people within South Africa, Tutu was famous for celebrating them.

“We are different so that we can know our need of one another, for no one is ultimately self-sufficient,” Tutu wrote in No Future Without Forgiveness (1999). “The completely self-sufficient person would be sub-human.”

For many in South Africa, it’s this approach that is the epitome of ubuntu.

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When former president of the United States, Barack Obama, made a speech earlier this year in Johannesburg — at the 2018 Nelson Mandela annual lecture — he said that Mandela “understood the ties that bind the human spirit.” 

“There is a word in South Africa — Ubuntu — that describes his greatest gift: his recognition that we are all bound together in ways that can be invisible to the eye; that there is a oneness to humanity; that we achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves with others, and caring for those around us,” Obama said. 

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“Umuntu Ngumuntu Ngabantu” or “I am, because you are” is how we describe the meaning of Ubuntu. It speaks to the fact that we are all connected and that one can only grow and progress through the growth and progression of others.

Ubuntu has since been used as a reminder for society on how we should be treating others. 

Speaking in South Africa for Nelson Mandela's 100th birthday, @BarackObama once again proved why he's a true Global Citizen 🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/mvKn6WTAaE — Global Citizen (@GlblCtzn) July 21, 2018

Nelson Mandela once said : “A traveller through a country would stop at a village and he didn’t have to ask for food or for water. Once he stops, the people give him food, entertain him. That is one aspect of Ubuntu but it will have various aspects."

This example of the concept of Ubuntu shows the exact “oneness” Obama describes in his speech. As a society, looking after one another plays a major role in the success of humanity.

Mandela is the true definition of Ubuntu, as he used this concept to lead South Africa to a peaceful post-apartheid transition. He never had the intention of teaching our oppressors a lesson. Instead, he operated with compassion and integrity, showing us that for us to be a better South Africa, we cannot act out of vengeance or retaliation, but out of peace.

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, who led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1996, also touched on the meaning of Ubuntu and how it defines us as a society. 

“We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole world,” he said. “When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity." 

This is exactly what Ubuntu is about, it’s a reminder that no one is an island — every single thing that you do, good or bad, has an effect on your family, friends, and society. It also reminds us that we need think twice about the choices we want to make and the kind of impact they may have on others.

What exactly are we doing to live Ubuntu and make it a daily act in our lives? 

Gender inequality, poverty, and violence happens on a global scale and these atrocities are what tells us that we need to do more as a society to actively live and breathe Ubuntu and put it into action on a daily basis. 

Everyone in society needs to play a part, regardless of how small one may think it is. We all have a role to play and it’s of vital importance that our actions inspire others to want to be a part of a better and brighter future. 

Ubuntu is also about justice, and particularly, justice for all people. As much as we must look after each other, it is also just as important that we exercise fairness and equality for all people regardless of race, gender, or social status. 

So essentially, Ubuntu is about togetherness as well as a fight for the greater good. This is what Mandela was prepared to sacrifice his life for.

Ubuntu is the common thread and DNA that runs through the UN’s Global Goals, because without the spirit of Ubuntu within us, we cannot implement great change in our society. It’s imperative that we help all people, young and old, to achieve only the best for our future.

The Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 is presented and hosted by The Motsepe Foundation, with major partners House of Mandela, Johnson & Johnson, Cisco, Nedbank, Vodacom, Coca Cola Africa, Big Concerts, BMGF Goalkeepers, Eldridge Industries, and associate partners HP and Microsoft.

Demand Equity

What Is the Spirit of Ubuntu? How Can We Have It in Our Lives?

Oct. 19, 2018

Ubuntu Ethics

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• Philip Ogochukwu Ujomudike 2  

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This is an entry on ubuntu ethics. The idea is to develop an endogenous African conception of ubuntu as an ethical construct. We attempt to use ubuntu to countermand the current dominant social paradigm (DSP) of hatred, intolerance, abuse of human rights, dehumanization, exploitation, authoritarianism, poverty, and oppression that plague the human race at the national and international levels. This work proposes a conception of ubuntu as a value system built upon the application of some key moral and democratic values for liberation and transformation. Specifically, ubuntu ethics is defined as a set of values central among which are reciprocity, common good, peaceful relations, emphasis on human dignity, and the value of human life as well as consensus, tolerance, and mutual respect. These features are to operate at the national level. We also argue for a possibility utilizing ubuntu ethical correlates as materials for establishing stable and viable human relations within the international system or global order. Our aim is to conceptualize ubuntu as an ethical idea and praxis, as well as to situate it as an ethical ideal all with a view to making humans better and thus tackling in a systematic manner, our natural and man-made existential predicaments.

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What Can Ubuntu Do? A Reflection on African Moral Theory in Light of Post-colonial Challenges

Ubuntu as a Plausible Ground for a Normative Theory of Justice from the African Place

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Andoh, C. T. (2011). Bioethics and the challenges to its growth in Africa. Open Journal of Philosophy, 1 (2), 67–75. doi:10.4236/ojpp.2011.12012.

Behrens, K. G. (2013). Towards an indigenous African bioethics. South African Journal of Bioethics and Law, 6 (1), 32–35. doi:10.7196/SAJBL.255.

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Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Social and Management Sciences, [FHMSS] Federal University, Wukari, Taraba, Nigeria

Philip Ogochukwu Ujomudike

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Ujomudike, P.O. (2016). Ubuntu Ethics. In: ten Have, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Global Bioethics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09483-0_428

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THE PHILOSOPHY OF UBUNTU IN EDUCATION

I feel very much humbled yet exalted by the noble call embraced by revolution and evolution of ideas that had shaped this exothermic piece of article 'Philosophy in curriculum development and design. This is a culmination of experiences one encountered in education fraternity of socio-pedagogical system. It stretches your mind to its limit in an endless manner and fashion of its kind. Knowledge is information and information is knowledge but its both transformation tender another version of its matter and energy. This paper seeks to explore positive effects, on teachers ,learners and society. If Ubuntu philosophy was to be infused in the South African education system through the curriculum ,and simultaneously anchored on the paradigmatic principles of Ubuntu and Afrikology. As the transformative philosophy ,the paper argues that Ubuntu stretches one's mind into a school classroom practice and sparks a new look and transformative navigation and innovation required in our 4th Industrial revolution for socio-economic development.

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This philosophical investigation sought to find out the Metaphysical antecedent of Ubuntu philosophy and in so doing locate its educational consequents. The study begins by analysing the concept of Ubuntu and brings out the nexus of Ubuntu in African communalism. By using conceptual analysis and prescriptive methods it analyzes the ontological implication of Ubuntu philosophy on Parent-Teacher-Learner relationships and on curriculum. It also examines the role Ubuntu gnoseology and its impact on History Education and Moralization in education. Some of the major findings indicate that Africa may not meaningfully talk about 'holism' in education without appealing to indigenous philosophy of ubuntu. It is deduced that ubuntu is not just a word; it is an ontologically, epistemologically and axiologically laden concept that gives existential authenticity to African points de vues. Lastly the study indicates that Africa is non dualist continent and therefore extreme rationalism of western education as practiced in contemporary African countries is a cause of social, economic and political quagmires.

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This study sought to critically reflect on the impact of Ubuntu on learner behaviour and academic performance in secondary schools in the Gweru district of Zimbabwe. The study was undergirded by two theoretical frameworks: Hirschi‟s (1969) Social Bond Theory and Welberg‟s (1981) Theory of Educational Productivity. The four elements of the Social Bond Theory and the three groups of nine factors of the Theory of Educational Productivity based on affective, cognitive and behavioural skills for optimisation of learning which affect the quality of academic performance were reviewed in order to reflect on the impact of Ubuntu on learner behaviour and academic performance in secondary schools in the Gweru district of Zimbabwe. The interpretivist paradigm was used in this study since it was participant oriented. The qualitative research design was adopted for this study which followed a phenomenological approach where semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, document analysis an...

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This theoretical paper reaffirms ubuntu/unhu mainstreaming in the education curricula across the board, that is, from pre-school (ECD) to university level as advocated by diverse researchers, educationists and policy makers. The paper argues among other things that ubuntu/unhu is the foundation of and panacea for sustainable educational change not only in Zimbabwe but in the whole of Southern Africa. The paper reiterates that the epitome of Africanness is only ensured and guaranteed through ubuntu/unhu mainstreaming in the education curricula.

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The South African government has developed and incorporated African Indigenous Knowledge (AIK) in the school curriculum however, efforts to integrate AIK in teaching and learning have not yielded the desired results. The study, sought to investigate how AIK is integrated into teaching using Ubuntu values and the implications on teaching and learning in the classroom. Premised on Ubuntu theory, the study adopted an integrated literature review approach, and a comprehensive electronic search was done which led to the discovery of articles that are relevant to the study. A total of 36 out of 54 articles published between 2010-2021 were selected and reviewed. The findings from the literature revealed that much research has not been done to develop strategies that assist teachers to integrate AIK into their lessons. The data also showed that there was a lack of professional teacher development programs meant to equip teachers teaching AIK with the necessary pedagogical skills required in...

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The African communitarian way of life, unhu/ubuntu, has suffered unprecedented decline in recent years. This is mainly attributed to cultural pluralism. Notwithstanding the decline in morality, unhu/ubuntu still exists. The essentials of unhu/ubuntu must continually get emphasis from societal institutions. It is for this cause that this paper seeks to justify the use of philosophy for children model in schools to foster unhu/ubuntu. A brief account of unhu/ubuntu will be given. The philosophy for children model will be discussed relative to ubuntu. Lastly the paper will suggest ways of employing philosophy for children to revive unhu/ubuntu.

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In this research, we examine the suitability of Ubuntu, a concept of the indigenous Value system in Africa, in the light of the quest for a better and contemporary education that is founded and grounded in African values. This becomes pertinent since the idea of decolonization and articulation of new ideas that will improve the existential condition of contemporary Africans have become urgent due to sustained development challenges that education could help dissolve. Through the method of philosophical speculation, analysis and prescription, this study argues that an authentic African contemporary education can be built on value a system that is nurtured by Ubuntu. From this orient, this study strongly argues that the spirit of community, togetherness, interdependence, mutuality, caring and inclusion, which are deeply enshrined as indigenous values and admitted by Ubuntu, can serve as a philosophical basis upon which a new contemporary curriculum and pedagogy can function. This study, therefore, submits that the quest for a developed and improved Africa can only be attained if authentic cultural measures are integrated into an educational system consisting in indigenous existential ideas that are built on African ideas.

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