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The Historical Development of the Written Discourses on Ubuntu

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Abstract

In this article, I demonstrate that the term ‘ubuntu’ has frequently appeared in writing since at least 1846. I also analyse changes in how ubuntu has been defined in written sources in the period 1846 to 2011. The analysis shows that in written sources published prior to 1950, it appears that ubuntu is always defined as a human quality. 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. Furthermore, my findings indicate that it was during the period from 1993 to 1995 that the Nguni proverb ‘umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu’ (often translated as ‘a person is a person through other persons’) was used for the first time to describe what ubuntu is. Most authors today refer to the proverb when describing ubuntu, irrespective of whether they consider ubuntu to be a human quality, African humanism, a philosophy, an ethic, or a worldview.

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... Ubuntu is an ancient philosophical concept that originated from indigenous peoples of Southern Though it is characterized by certain core values and principles, Ubuntu has a fluid nature as it is shaped by various perspectives (Magezi 2017). Gade (2011) argues that much of contemporary conception about Ubuntu-such as its characterization as African humanism, a philosophy, an ethic, or a worldview-originated primarily in written materials during the latter half of the 20th century. Gade (2011) highlights that Ubuntu garnered significant attention and scrutiny during political transitions from white minority rule to black majority rule in Zimbabwe and South Africa. ...
... Gade (2011) argues that much of contemporary conception about Ubuntu-such as its characterization as African humanism, a philosophy, an ethic, or a worldview-originated primarily in written materials during the latter half of the 20th century. Gade (2011) highlights that Ubuntu garnered significant attention and scrutiny during political transitions from white minority rule to black majority rule in Zimbabwe and South Africa. He cites Setiloane as tracing the origin of Ubuntu in South African literature to a conference in Durban in 1960 (Gade 2011). ...
... Gade (2011) highlights that Ubuntu garnered significant attention and scrutiny during political transitions from white minority rule to black majority rule in Zimbabwe and South Africa. He cites Setiloane as tracing the origin of Ubuntu in South African literature to a conference in Durban in 1960 (Gade 2011). He also refers to Lodge as identifying Jordan Kush Ngubane's publications in The African Drum magazine in the 1950s as the beginning of the concept of Ubuntu is written works. ...
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In light of the aspirations outlined in Agenda 2063, which aims to promote socioeconomic development and unity across Africa, there remains a need to explore effective socio-political frameworks that can be applied within the context of individual nations to facilitate the attainment of these goals. This study focuses on Ghana as a case study to investigate the potential impact of integrating Ubuntu socio-political ethics into its governance structures. The paper used conceptual analysis to study the Ubuntu philosophy based on data gathered from books, articles, and dissertations. The main thesis is that Ghana's chances of realizing the strategic goals of Agenda 2063 can be enhanced by anchoring them in relevant aspects of African philosophy of Ubuntu (the communal worldview of life). The areas of applications include tolerance and consensus building, political inclusiveness, nation building and patriotism, fight against corruption, and the promotion of human rights, gender equality, justice, and the rule of law. The paper contributes to public discourse about Ghana's potential of achieving the goals of Agenda 2063.
... Ubuntu is an ancient philosophical concept that originated from indigenous peoples of Southern Though it is characterized by certain core values and principles, Ubuntu has a fluid nature as it is shaped by various perspectives (Magezi 2017). Gade (2011) argues that much of contemporary conception about Ubuntu-such as its characterization as African humanism, a philosophy, an ethic, or a worldview-originated primarily in written materials during the latter half of the 20th century. Gade (2011) highlights that Ubuntu garnered significant attention and scrutiny during political transitions from white minority rule to black majority rule in Zimbabwe and South Africa. ...
... Gade (2011) argues that much of contemporary conception about Ubuntu-such as its characterization as African humanism, a philosophy, an ethic, or a worldview-originated primarily in written materials during the latter half of the 20th century. Gade (2011) highlights that Ubuntu garnered significant attention and scrutiny during political transitions from white minority rule to black majority rule in Zimbabwe and South Africa. He cites Setiloane as tracing the origin of Ubuntu in South African literature to a conference in Durban in 1960 (Gade 2011). ...
... Gade (2011) highlights that Ubuntu garnered significant attention and scrutiny during political transitions from white minority rule to black majority rule in Zimbabwe and South Africa. He cites Setiloane as tracing the origin of Ubuntu in South African literature to a conference in Durban in 1960 (Gade 2011). He also refers to Lodge as identifying Jordan Kush Ngubane's publications in The African Drum magazine in the 1950s as the beginning of the concept of Ubuntu is written works. ...
Article
In light of the aspirations outlined in Agenda 2063, which aims to promote socioeconomic development and unity across Africa, there remains a need to explore effective socio-political frameworks that can be applied within the context of individual nations to facilitate the attainment of these goals. This study focuses on Ghana as a case study to investigate the potential impact of integrating Ubuntu socio-political ethics into its governance structures. The paper used conceptual analysis to study the Ubuntu philosophy based on data gathered from books, articles, and dissertations. The main thesis is that Ghana's chances of realizing the strategic goals of Agenda 2063 can be enhanced by anchoring them in relevant aspects of African philosophy of Ubuntu (the communal worldview of life). The areas of applications include tolerance and consensus building, political inclusiveness, nation building and patriotism, fight against corruption, and the promotion of human rights, gender equality, justice, and the rule of law. The paper contributes to public discourse about Ghana's potential of achieving the goals of Agenda 2063.
... Ubuntu became a term of interest in the transition to democracy in South Africa and Zimbabwe, even though there were prior usages of the term in the second half of the 1900s (Gade, 2011). Ubuntu has always been a part of African life as a worldview and way of life (Ramose, 1999). ...
... Ubuntu has been described using various terms such as kindness, human nature, goodness, humanity, and hospitality. According to Gade (2011), the earliest written record of ubuntu dates from 1846 in the isiXhosa Bible I-Testamente Entsha by H. H. Hare. Jordan Kush Ngubane wrote about ubuntu as a worldview in the African Drum magazine in the 1950s and defined it as African humanism inspired by postcolonial African political thinkers (Gade, 2011). ...
... According to Gade (2011), the earliest written record of ubuntu dates from 1846 in the isiXhosa Bible I-Testamente Entsha by H. H. Hare. Jordan Kush Ngubane wrote about ubuntu as a worldview in the African Drum magazine in the 1950s and defined it as African humanism inspired by postcolonial African political thinkers (Gade, 2011). Gade (2011) further argues that the use of African concepts in political thinking was rooted in the 1950s and 1960s, when some African countries gained independence from colonial rule. ...
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This chapter seeks to establish an ubuntu leadership theory in an African context in disruptive times such as the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). Instead of formulating leadership theories that are influenced by Western philosophies, this chapter investigates African indigenous knowledge. The 4IR is a paradox in Africa: it is technological progress, but it perpetuates inequality, poverty, and unemployment. Africa requires leadership that is not individualistic or focused on the growth of an institution, but rooted in the wellbeing and development of communities. The main argument here is for an ubuntu leadership model, for a technological age, in an African context, through the methodology of critical literature review. Two examples of ubuntu leadership in sustainable community development initiatives in rural communities are presented. These initiatives make use of technology to address socioeconomic challenges in Gwakwani in Limpopo and Mankosi in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
... Para ele, tais percepções sobre ubuntu soam "eticamente ilegítimas tanto de um ponto de vista ontológico quanto do ponto de vista consequencialista", abstendo-se de ingressar na discussão secular sobre qual teoria ética é mais prudente (GADE, 2012: 500, tradução nossa Kashindi (2017) cita a perenidade de ubuntu tanto na tradição oral dos povos originários quanto em produções escritas, que se alastraram com a vinda de europeus para o continente africano, confluência e confronto de discursos que reverberaram uma série de memórias a respeito do entendimento de ubuntu a partir de fora e outras concepções sobre a experiência de se viver ubuntu a partir de dentro. Gade (2011) sistematizou o desenvolvimento histórico sobre como ubuntu foi registrado textualmente e o classificou em cinco períodos, que compreenderam textos desde 1846 (ano da primeira aparição escrita encontrada do termo) até o ano da publicação de sua investigação no início da década de 2010. ...
... Em suma, Gade (2011) conclui que na atualidade, os autores, em sua maioria, descrevem o termo partindo de provérbios encontrado em diversas línguas bantas como em zulu, umuntungumuntungabantu, compreendido como "pessoas são pessoas através de outras pessoas" (TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION, 1998: 127) ou em xona, munhungewane expressa a mensagem de que "uma pessoa o é somente no seio das outras" (CASTIANO, 2010: 168) e que, independentemente de suas interpretações, tomam ubuntu seja como uma qualidade humana, uma humanidade africana, uma filosofia, uma ética ou uma percepção do mundo/cosmo percepção 3 . ...
... 3 Diferente da classificação original do registro textual de ubuntu de Gade (2011), prefere-se utilizar as expressões "percepção do mundo" ou "cosmopercepção" no lugar de "cosmovisão" africana, assim como Silva, Mendes e Oliveira (2020), em oposição à prática ocidental de hegemonizar a visibilidade do homem de cor branca a partir do pensamento da epistemóloga e socióloga nigeriana de origem iorubáOyèrónkeOyěwùmí (1997: 2-3, tradução nossa) quando afirma que: "O termo "cosmovisão", que é usado no Ocidente para resumir a lógica cultural de uma sociedade, capta o privilégio ocidental do visual. É eurocêntrico usá-lo para descrever culturas que podem privilegiar outros sentidos. ...
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O continente africano é um dos destinos mais buscados e visitados para a prática do volunturismo. Nos países da região subsaariana, compartilha-se uma filosofia e ética relacional conhecida como ubuntu, que enfatiza a interconexão entre os seres humanos, fundamentando a hospitalidade africana. O objetivo deste estudo é investigar como a hospitalidade e ubuntu se manifestam em experiências de volunturismo. Foi conduzida uma pesquisa qualitativa exploratória-descritiva, com coleta de dados por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas com dois volunturistas afro-brasileiros que estiveram na África do Sul e em Gana. Em relação à hospitalidade africana, os volunturistas destacaram a impactante expressão de alegria, felicidade, gratidão e simplicidade de seus anfitriões. Evidenciou-se que o volunturismo promove vínculos sociais baseados em valores intrínsecos a ubuntu como a cooperação, o respeito mútuo e a solidariedade.
... (2) There are more than 31 million Nguni people and the main Nguni language, isiZulu is spoken by over 12 million amaZulu and 16 million second language speakers and is one of the most spoken on the continent. It is from this language where African philosophy got its definition, a proverb, umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu (Gade, 2011). ...
... (4) South Africa has a dominant presence in literature and media in Africa, and continuous use of Ubuntu in books, magazines and newspapers made Ubuntu known (Gade, 2011). ...
... (4) Ubuntu Stanlake Samkange, Zimbabwe (1922-1988 Chinua Achebe, Nigeria (1930-2013 Kwasi Wiredu, Ghana (1931-2022 John Mbiti (1931Mbiti ( -2019 Dani Wadada Nabudere, Uganda (1932-2011 Ngugi, Wa Thiongo, Kenya (1938-) Kwame Gyekye, Ghana (1939-2019 Lovemore Mbigi, Zimbabwe (1955-2023 Under the Ubuntu stage, the focus was on putting Ubuntu in the written literature, and in education. ...
Article
There is no comprehensive history of Africa’s philosophy for reasons including colonisation and neo-colonisation that resulted in its philosophy’ neglect and under-studying compared to Eastern, Middle-Eastern and Western philosophies. In this article, the timeline of Africa’s philosophy has been divided into five stages – sankofa, tu, shosholoza, Ubuntu and umoja. Sankofa is a stage where less is known, although, by looking at the history of the different groups of Black Africans – the Bantu, Kush, Nile-Sahara, San, Khoi Khoi, Hadza, Sandawe, Mbenga, Mbuti and Twa – we learn that they had related values centred around the family, community, society, environment and spirituality, and probably lived in proximity. The tu stage was characterised by the expansion of their communities and new languages that named Africa’s philosophy differently but closely. The shosholoza stage involved resisting the colonisation of Africa’s philosophy on and off the continent. The fourth stage is Ubuntu, the current stage where the noun Ubuntu has become prominent as the name of the philosophy for reasons including the resilience of the Zulu Kingdom from whose Nguni/Ngoni language the noun derives from. The final stage is umoja, the stage of renaissance and African-centredness. At this stage, Ubuntu is becoming the dominant worldview for Africa. From this history, among other things, we learn that Ubuntu did not start recently, Africa is not philosophyless and that Ubuntu cannot be attributed to Bantu people alone but all Black Africa. This history contributes to a better education for Africa where scientists, researchers, teachers, social workers, development workers, even security people, politicians and business people – become African-centred, all working for an Africa whose knowledge, innovations and capabilities compete with the rest of the world on an equal footing. It is recommended that the history of Africa’s philosophy and the philosophy itself be embedded in all levels of ‘formal’ or ‘informal’ education and this will be more useful if all stages, from sankofa to umoja are included. Knowledge of Africa’s philosophy would make education, research and practice more appropriate to Africa, especially in the fields of social work and development where colonial knowledge, values and practices have been dominant. How to reference using ASWNet style: Mugumbate, R. (2023). From sankofa, tu, shosholoza to Ubuntu and umoja: a five-stage historical timeline of the philosophy of Africa and implications for education, research and practice. African Journal of Social Work, 13(3), 167-178. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajsw.v13i3.5 Visit journal website: https://ajsw.africasocialwork.net
... Ubuntu has been described as a philosophical approach and a value system that promote the interdependence of people and communities ( Gade, 2011;Kamwangamalu, 1999;Maphalala, 2017). Although much of the literature on Ubuntu emerged during the political transition in Zimbabwe and South Africa, Gade (2011) argues that this concept has long been reflected in the writing of African leaders, which include Julius Nyerere, Kwame Nkrumah, Kenneth Kaunda and Ahmed Sékou Touré, whose ideas focused on familyhood or harmony in the extended family (Schreiber & Tomm-Bonde, 2015). ...
... Ubuntu has been described as a philosophical approach and a value system that promote the interdependence of people and communities ( Gade, 2011;Kamwangamalu, 1999;Maphalala, 2017). Although much of the literature on Ubuntu emerged during the political transition in Zimbabwe and South Africa, Gade (2011) argues that this concept has long been reflected in the writing of African leaders, which include Julius Nyerere, Kwame Nkrumah, Kenneth Kaunda and Ahmed Sékou Touré, whose ideas focused on familyhood or harmony in the extended family (Schreiber & Tomm-Bonde, 2015). At the heart of Ubuntu lies the reclaiming of African dignity that was eroded by colonialism, which was a pernicious and pervasive system that deprived Africans of their culture, dignity and resources (Gade, 2011). ...
... Although much of the literature on Ubuntu emerged during the political transition in Zimbabwe and South Africa, Gade (2011) argues that this concept has long been reflected in the writing of African leaders, which include Julius Nyerere, Kwame Nkrumah, Kenneth Kaunda and Ahmed Sékou Touré, whose ideas focused on familyhood or harmony in the extended family (Schreiber & Tomm-Bonde, 2015). At the heart of Ubuntu lies the reclaiming of African dignity that was eroded by colonialism, which was a pernicious and pervasive system that deprived Africans of their culture, dignity and resources (Gade, 2011). Underlying the philosophy of Ubuntu is the maxim "umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu" (Nguni languages) or "motho ke motho ka batho", (Sesotho languages) which translates to "I am because you are" (Sefotho & Makalela, 2017, p. 43). ...
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In this article, we address findings from a study conducted with high school learners in Gauteng, South Africa. It explored the strategies used by learners when learning English as a First Additional Language (EFAL). We used a conceptualisation of Ubuntu as a lens through which to explore EFAL learning. Data collection included an open-ended questionnaire and non-participant observation. Participants were purposefully sampled from peer-tutoring organisations around Gauteng. The key findings, which include the use of indigenous poetry, dance and storytelling by learners, highlight the need to include indigenous practices in the language classroom. Learners also showed a preference for cooperative learning and for using humour as a strategy for EFAL learning. We argue that the silencing of indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) perpetuates epistemic violence by limiting the resources available for learning. Therefore, more should be done in the EFAL classroom to ensure the inclusion of IKS. Through the findings of this study, we propose that including Ubuntu values and IKS in the curriculum is imperative if educational outcomes are to be improved, as these systems allow learners to become more involved and engaged in their own learning. This will re-centre African voices and valorise indigenous epistemologies.
... Both the practicalities of and need for informal caregiving in African contexts for communicable and non-communicable diseases have been well documented [4][5][6][7]. Caring for vulnerable dependents is a moral bedrock of African traditions, steeped in the Pan-African philosophy of Ubuntu, which encapsulates togetherness, reciprocity, and communality, often seen as opposing the less personal, professional care systems practiced in Western societies [8][9][10][11]. In this context, there is also an obligation for multi-generational caregiving within the household, whereby family members are taking care of aging parents, but in addition, grandparents care for grandchildren, even when they are suffering from illnesses themselves [12]. ...
... However, support was structured differently between the two field sites, especially practically, financially, and regarding access to care, whereby accessing health services was more time consuming in the rural area. In Bulungula, carers sought additional support from the whole community, for example, when needing to find refuge on long journeys to the clinic, actively relying on the values of Ubuntu, an essential lifeline during health emergencies or food shortages [8][9][10]42]. In urban areas, the care networks were smaller, but caregivers provided more emotional support, which was hardly mentioned by rural carers [8]. ...
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The importance of informal caregiving for chronic illness has been well established in African contexts but is underexplored in the context of HIV/NCD multimorbidity, particularly in South Africa. Building on treatment burden theories that investigate workload in the context of chronic illness, this paper explores how informal caregiving networks impact the capacity of people living with multimorbidity (PLWMM) in low-income settings in urban and rural South Africa. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were carried out with thirty people living with multimorbidity and sixteen informal caregivers between February and April 2021 in two settings, Cape Town (urban) and Bulungula (rural). Interviews were transcribed and data analysed both inductively and deductively using framework analysis, hereby, building on the principles of the burden of treatment theory (BoTT) as a theoretical lens. Our findings show that informal carers provided different types of support to people living with multimorbidity, including emotional, logistical, health services and informational support to ease the patient’s treatment burden. Additional support networks, access to grants or financial security, and feeling a duty to care eased the perceived carer burden while a lack of social support, financial hardship and insufficient information decreased their capacity to support others. Overall, the availability of informal caregiving increases the self-management capacity of people living with multimorbidity in low-income settings in South Africa. Informal caregiving in the context of multimorbidity is structured through social obligations, kinship connections, cultural expectations, and an individual sense of agency. Carers, even when committed to assist, also experience caregiving opportunity costs, which are rarely addressed in the literature. By proposing interventions that can actively support informal caregivers, we can begin to develop solutions that can optimize the role of informal care networks, with a view to improve health-outcomes of PLWMM in South Africa.
... Kwansah-Aidoo & Saleh (2017) argued that the South African government's denial of xenophobic attacks damaged its reputation, and that apologising was too late. Denial failed, but the apology succeeded due to African humanistic values like Ubuntu (Gade, 2011). Botswana culture values respect and compassion for others (Osei-Hwedie, 2010), so the denial strategy may not work in this culture. ...
... Western public spheres of the 18th century, which were essential for national discourse, have declined due to mass media (Gesser-Edelsburg, Shir-Raz,Walter, Mordini, Dimitriou, James & Green, 2015), but the kgotla has remained relevant and robust. Communication in the kgotla is based on African humanism of Botho (Osei-Hwedie 2010) or Ubuntu as it is known in South Africa (Gade, 2011). The kgotla accommodates everyone, including the global public, living and working in Botswana. ...
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Multicultural crisis communication in Botswana has become complex due to the country’s various ethnicities and cultures. Facebook remains a dominant communication platform, but traditional media is also used to cover organisational exigencies. However, there is a lack of research guiding public relations (PR) practitioners in multicultural crisis communication in Botswana, and this study addresses this gap. Semi-structured interviews with 20 Botswana PR practitioners revealed that they use Facebook to manage crises, but do not engage in online dialogue with the public. Instead, they post status updates and switch to offline cultural communication platforms for face-to-face dialogue. This article proposes and introduces a Botswana-focused model, the Cross Cloverleaf Relationship Model (CCRM), that probably resonates with similar contexts in Sub-Saharan African countries. The model facilitates authentic crisis communication between Facebook and the kgotla system, Botswana's traditional and cultural communication platform. I suggest that multinational companies may find the kgotla system helpful during emergencies in Botswana.
... It follows that there is a need for indigenisation of the curriculum with an emphasis on indigenous knowledge and its creation and dissemination. Many African scholars confirm this position (Nyamnjoh, 2012;Samkange & Samkage, 1980;Gade, 2011). The discontinuity shown by the emphasis on STEM subjects at tertiary level and STEAM at primary and secondary levels reflects that the arts and humanities are not given the prominence they deserve in university education. ...
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Drawing on the concept of continuity and discontinuity, this qualitative theoretical study uses document analysis to explore the connections and contradictions between the newly introduced Education 5.0 and Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) in one African country. The study used the case of Zimbabwe; and selected and critiqued studies, reports and documents published between 2010 and 2022 focusing on the Curriculum Framework 2015-2022 and Education 5.0. The findings suggest that the curriculum goals and objectives at the primary and secondary levels show some degree of continuity and congruence with the university's curriculum goals and objectives. However, a closer examination of Education 5.0 and CBC shows the manifestation of gaps and discontinuities in assessment issues, the focus on the sciences and philosophies that guide education. The study recommends that curriculum experts and policymakers align curriculum packages to be consistent across different levels and disciplines of education to demonstrate closer alignment of purpose and better integration in practice. This study offers new perspectives on education reforms and encourages countries to examine the degree of alignment between primary and secondary school curricula and university curricula. Keywords: Continuities; harmonization of the curriculum; discontinuities; Education 5.0; competency-based curriculum
... God communed with men and women and held converse with them. Interestingly, most religious traditions and scriptures began their story from the time darkness descended upon the earth as sin came into the world, leading to the creation of the physical universe but only Igbo oral tradition extended beyond that period, preserving perhaps the only existing glimpse into what life was before the creation of the sun and the planets, before man became mortal [23]. ...
Article
The Igbo people have continued to rank high in global migration index, with scholars proffering physical factors of ecology, economics, survival etc., as reason. However, they rarely consider spiritual factors, thereby creating an epistemic gap. The current work is therefore designed to fill this gap. It adopts socio-hermeneutical method and examines extent literatures in books, journals, internet and archival material and discovers that the Igbo peoples’ migration dexterity hinges on divine instructions. Hence, this work concludes that it is in the quest to obeying this mandate that the Igbo peoples’ migration dexterity should be understood and interpreted.
... Most people develop robust and broad humoral and cellular immune responses following natural sars-coV-2 infection. Globally, the infection fatality rate (in this case, the risk of death when infected with coViD-19) could be even less than 0.23% (ioannidis, 2021;nielsen et al., 2021;Who, 2021). in this context, the south african humanistic philosophical concept of ubuntu, which can be loosely translated as 'i am because we are' , applies here, as it refers to the interdependence and interconnectedness of humanity (Gade, 2013), which are unfortunately lacking in the present-day society. ...
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Is the devil dressed in greed? Greed stimulates corruption, which promotes self-alienation, facilitates systemic failure, worsens inequality, and generates false pledges and divide-and-conquer policies. Despite the United Nations’ (UN) existence for much of a century, most countries continue to exploit and compete for cheap labor, causing poverty rates to climb. Most UN member states and other affiliated and international organizations have institutionalized bad governance, corporate abuse, and social injustice to benefit themselves, thus committing institutional crimes and aiding the global elite in a vicious conspiratorial cycle. The entire UN system has harnessed a mafia-like culture of power with impunity in intermestic affairs to control human experience and generate authoritarian paradigms. This in turn stimulates psychological captivity, irrational preferences, and negative herd behavior and divides nations both internationally and domestically. A literature-based transdisciplinary study was conducted to substantiate these assertions and to propose feasible systemic solutions that point toward humanistic paradigms by cultivating psychological freedom and implementing good governance. In this way, the related cognitive processes can be systemically and intermestically amended while resolving the structural weaknesses of the UN, eliminating inequality, uniting nations internationally and domestically, and developing a peaceful, just, and sustainable world order.
... In a more philosophical sense, however, it means a belief in the universal bond of giving and sharing that unites all humankind. Gade (2011) proves that since 1995 the proverb has acquired an important place in explaining the concept of ubuntu. Since then, the proverb has been quoted or mentioned in connection with human interconnectedness. ...
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In African society today, ubuntu as a notion of African humanism has been, and still is, subject to critical discussion. In African literature, philosophy, ethics, anthropology and theology, ubuntu plays a vast role and scholars in Africa and globally find the notion highly debated. The concept of identity development on the African continent has been written about broadly. This article unpacks the ubuntu philosophies of Augustine Shutte, Kwame Gyekye and John Mbiti. The views of these scholars will be contrasted to critically engage the conceivable commonalities for identity development through cultures. The question addressed herein is: What are the similarities and dissimilarities of ubuntu as a cornerstone for identity development in modern Africa? This article also examines the divergent definition and historical development of ubuntu culture, ubuntu philosophy of identity development, environmental development and various thinkers’ understanding of this African worldview in current Africa and further afield.Contribution: This research contributes to African theological ethics of the new landscape identity and explores the ubuntu worldviews as a developmental process of identities across cultures. Since identity development across cultures is highly dynamic, the hermeneutical interpretation of the principles of ubuntu is crucial.
... Amongst the comparative echoes which emerged during the 2000s was that Ubuntu is the short form of a longer isiXhosa proverb in Southern Africa, namely, umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, which signifies that a person is an individual only through interactions with other individuals [29]. According to Gade [30], it was between 1993 and 1995 that Ubuntu first became associated with the proverb umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu. If Gade is correct, the term and the proverb became closely connected within the space of only a few years. ...
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Ubuntu has been defined as a moral quality of human beings, as a philosophy or an ethic, as African humanism, and as a worldview. This paper explores these definitions as conceptual tools for understanding the cultural, educational, and philosophical landscape of post-apartheid South Africa. Key to this understanding is the Althusserian concept of state apparatus. Louis Althusser divides the state apparatus into two forces: the repressive state apparatus (RSA); and the ideological state apparatus (ISA). RSAs curtail the working classes, predominately through direct violence or the threat of violence, whereas ISAs function primarily by ideology, including forms of organised religion, the education system, family units, legal systems, trade unions, political parties, and media. This paper discusses the link between increasing inequality in post-apartheid South Africa and education, with specific reference to Althusser's ISAs and the abuse of Ubuntu as a subterfuge for socioeconomic inequality.
... The concept of ubuntu has expanded since its first appearance in written discourse in 1846 (Gade, 2011). Initially considered a human quality, and later translated as African humanism, a philosophy, an ethic and a worldview, the concept mirrors the Buddhist philosophy of "interdependence, communalism, sensitivity towards others and caring for others" (Le Roux, 2000. in Venter, 2004. ...
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This study on African wisdom traditions and their healing practices, as conducted through embodied modalities and in community settings, addresses a gap in mainstream discourse centered on Eastern meditation practices and Western cognitive therapeutic practices. During a research retreat in South Africa, traditional healers, creative arts therapists, and performers were invited to facilitate indigenous contemplative rituals and arts-based healing practices. The study intended to classify selected Southern African practices and question how they contribute to healing trauma, supporting well-being and enabling human flourishing. This article presents a definition, brief history, and the performed elements of five healing practices: Umphahlo, Umgidi Wokulingisa, Isicathamiya, Iintsomi, and Djembe drumming.
... The insights advanced in Okoliko and de Wit (2021) draw from the concept of personhood prevalent in traditional African communities, as studied in various philosophical, anthropological, and political texts (Chimakonam, 2019;Gade, 2011;Horsthemke, 2018;Mbiti, 1970;Metz, 2012). The view, expressed through various African relational perspectives (e.g. ...
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In the face of threatening ecological crises, the imperative of reorienting the field of environmental communication toward a crisis and care orientation has gained prominence. Although notable progress has been achieved in this endeavour since the publication of Cox's influential work on the "crisis discipline" in 2007, the field has seen limited contributions from non-Anglo-American perspectives. This commentary addresses this gap by articulating the potential of African relational perspectives in framing environmental communication as both a crisis and care discipline. African relationality espouses a social paradigm that prioritizes other-regarding values, advocating for a more compassionate, context-sensitive, and relationship-centred approach to environmental discourse. Within this commentary, I discuss how African relationality complements the contributions of care theory, fostering a shift from a detached, observer-centric stance in environmental communication to one that actively engages within the interconnected ecological network we collectively inhabit. This brief synthesis invites a more inclusive, empathetic, and action-oriented environmental communication research and practice to confront the pressing ecological challenges of our time.
... Another perspective on what ubuntu is can be found in the work of Gade (2011Gade ( , 2017. His writing informs us that, prior to the 1990s, when ubuntu began to be mostly defined as a human quality, it was part of what he coins a 'narrative of return' (Gade, 2011: 304). ...
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Knowledge systems and social philosophies from Indigenous communities in the Global South have long promoted non-violence through a sense of shared humanity and community building, and as such are valid counter-hegemonic alternatives to the existing colonial, Eurocentric model of knowledge production in use. This article details the contributions made by two specific Indigenous wisdom traditions-ubuntu and Buen Vivir-to a non-violence education teacher training programme in Chile framed within decolonial epistemologies. Using participatory workshops as a method, this study sought to offer Chilean trainee teachers a set of tools to explore issues of discrimination and exclusion and to deal with tensions arising from these issues informed by non-violent approaches. Participants read and reflected on how these wisdom traditions could contribute to their own teaching practice and later planned and facilitated a session with their peers to help them develop awareness on the principles of ubuntu and Buen Vivir. Results show paradigm shifts in three areas: individual versus collective action; their perception of human interconnectedness and of our interconnectedness with the International Journal of Development Education and Global Learning Decolonising non-violence 70 environment; and how these perspectives could inform their teaching practice to foster greater inclusiveness.
... The notion ubuntu is a Nguni term which is translated by different terms such as humanity and humanness (Gade, 2011). It is a common term in the sub-Saharan context, which refers to different terms in various languages such as "umunthu" in ciChewa and Huhnu in Shona. ...
... They see this as deriving from a set of interlinked, common philosophical commitments drawn from many African cultures, particularly Ubuntu in Southern Africa and Harambee in East Africa. Ubuntu is interpreted as a communalist belief sys-tem, which is based on reciprocity, interdependency, and sharing, where personhood is defined in relation to the Other ( Gade 2011 ). ...
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This paper uses the 20th anniversary of the founding of the African Union (AU) to examine the role of race and identity in Pan-Africanism, from the perspective of International Relations (IR). Pan-Africanism played a crucial role in the decolonization of the African continent and remains the ideological basis for the AU, which leads on issues of continental governance. The paper examines the development of Pan-Africanism, and foundational ideas of race, modernity, and identity that remain as important elements of some strains of the ideology. This is further explored by examining the relationship between these ideas and the rise of nativism, demonstrating the ways that essentialist conceptions of African identity can justify violence and authoritarianism. Finally, the paper stages an engagement between Pan-Africanism and Afropolitanism, examining the ways that Afropolitan approaches provide an important critique of nativist forms of Pan-Africanism, as well as offering more productive ways of engaging with African identity. This is important both for theoretical debates around identity in IR and for the future of the AU, as the institutional home of Pan-Africanism. The argument takes both Pan-Africanism and Afropolitanism seriously as approaches to IR, focusing on the ways that Africa and African ideologies can be viewed as central both to the formation of modern political thought and to conceptualize the future of international politics and global order.
... Tracing the history of ubuntu in written discourse, Gade notes that at first, ubuntu was described as "an excellent African quality," "the admirable qualities of the Bantu," and more broadly as "goodness of nature," "greatness of soul," and "a good moral disposition" (Gade, 2011, p. 308). It was during the second half of the twentieth century that a shift occurred and ubuntu ceased referring to qualities of character and instead was used to indicate a more general philosophy, ethic, African humanism, or a worldview (Gade, 2011). Eventually, during the 1990s, ubuntu became associated with the Nguni proverb, "a person is a person through other persons" (umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu), taking on its distinctive modern flavor as both a philosophy and ethic. ...
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... However, it became an object of particular interest and consideration during the political periods of transition from white minority rule to black majority rule in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Gade (2011) expresses the opinion that Ubuntu is a dynamic term that has taken on new meanings at different points in history, as a result of the influence of changing social and political circumstances. For example, to have been in the context of the South African transition process in the 1990s that the term Ubuntu became connected to the Nguni proverb umuntu ngumuntu ngabatu translated as a person is a person through other persons. ...
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Xenophobia is a social evil that has seen the human rights of migrants violated all over the world. In South Africa, black foreign nationals are often humiliated, assaulted, and their businesses destroyed, in addition to being denied some basic services and seldom accused of dealing drugs and taking what belong to South African citizens in the form of jobs and social benefits. South Africans is considered a beneficiary of many acts of selfless solidarity during the apartheid era, however, some South Africa [to a certain extent] believes that what its people enjoy should be extended to the citizens from other country. Thus, its national interest can be daubed as people-centered while promoting the well-being, development and upliftment of its people and ensuring inclusive development of the country. Using a qualitative research method, this study interrogates the xenophobic noise surrounding migrants in South Africa while seeking to know whether xenophobism is a product of jealousy and ignorance? Thus, going by the influence of government policies, how can the principles of Ubuntu diplomacy be explored to checkmate the xenophobes in response to the circumstances surrounding it in South Africa? Theoretically, the study relies on scapegoatism theory, frustration aggression theory, and group threat theory and to explain the possible reasons behind the hostile nature of [black] South African towards black African migrants, concluding that the best, and only solution to the phenomenon is to remove the image of “they are our enemies” through Ubuntu diplomacy.
... However, it became an object of particular interest and consideration during the political periods of transition from white minority rule to black majority rule in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Gade (2011) expresses the opinion that Ubuntu is a dynamic term that has taken on new meanings at different points in history, as a result of the influence of changing social and political circumstances. For example, to have been in the context of the South African transition process in the 1990s that the term Ubuntu became connected to the Nguni proverb umuntu ngumuntu ngabatu translated as a person is a person through other persons. ...
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Covid disease was first identified by scientists in 1965 as a human coronavirus associated with a common cold. However, the virus that first appeared on a small scale in November 2019 in Wuhan, China soon translates into a global pandemic that resulted in a global loss of life, social disorderliness, disruption of states’ economies, decelerating sustainable development, as well as a threat to diplomatic relations. Amid this pandemic, students of tertiary institutions were conditionally forced to switch over to an online school system which is quite challenging for most students, particularly those living in rural areas. While trying to explore the experience of students in tertiary institutions located in the remote areas of Kwazulu-Natal Province of South Africa, this paper further highlights the inadequacies and inequalities in South Africa’s educational system. The paper used the theory of social and behavioral science which explain that moral decision-making during a pandemic involves uncertainty. Using the purposive sampling method, this work provides an understanding of the challenges of students in higher institutions living in the rural areas of Kwazulu-Natal Province of South Africa during the pandemic. The study was piloted on samples from the University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa campus, using students and lecturers who resides in Esikhawini, Ngwelezana, and Vulindlela areas of KwaDlangezwa. Thus, the researcher was able to carefully assess the perceptions and the experiences of South African students living in ‘rural’ areas.
... Tracing the history of ubuntu in written discourse, Gade notes that at first, ubuntu was described as "an excellent African quality," "the admirable qualities of the Bantu," and more broadly as "goodness of nature," "greatness of soul," and "a good moral disposition" (Gade, 2011, p. 308). It was during the second half of the twentieth century that a shift occurred and ubuntu ceased referring to qualities of character and instead was used to indicate a more general philosophy, ethic, African humanism, or a worldview (Gade, 2011). Eventually, during the 1990s, ubuntu became associated with the Nguni proverb, "a person is a person through other persons" (umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu), taking on its distinctive modern flavor as both a philosophy and ethic. ...
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This study examines how embracing the concept of UBUNTU (I am because we are) can enhance tourism sustainability through digitalization. It highlights the interconnectedness of environmental factors and human responsibility globally. The main goal is to promote a sense of belonging to sustain tourism, utilizing digital platforms. By fostering harmony within nature and society, particularly through digital channels, the aim is to raise awareness about sustainability and mitigate the negative impacts of mass tourism. The study also seeks to conserve nature and natural resources from the adverse effects of tourism and advocate for prioritizing the preservation of nature and natural resources over commercial features, such as promoting homestays over star hotels. It emphasizes that destroying nature for development will ultimately diminish tourism appeal. Through this research, the message is conveyed that protecting nature ensures the continuity of tourism and related employment opportunities.
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Traditional measures of church growth, such as attendance and giving, come from aspects of growth that can readily be counted. These countable measures resonate with cultural assumptions about success, in which more is better. In contrast, the Apostle Paul offers a measure of church growth built around conforming to the kenotic example of Christ, in which Christ emptied Himself of divine power and took on the form of a slave to serve humanity (Phil. 2:6–8). In Paul's paradigm, the necessary indicator of church growth is how well believers follow Christ's example of servanthood by living in Christian community. The present paper uses the communitarian values associated with ubuntu to provide a framework for understanding Paul's kenotic paradigm of church growth in the African context.
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Due to its enormous potential, artificial intelligence (AI) can transform healthcare on a seemingly infinite scale. However, as we continue to explore the immense potential of AI, it is vital to consider the ethical concerns associated with its development and deployment. One specific concern that has been flagged in the literature is the responsibility gap (RG) due to the introduction of AI in healthcare. When the use of an AI algorithm or system results in a negative outcome for a patient(s), to whom can or should responsibility for that outcome be assigned? Although the concept of the RG was introduced in Anglo-American and European philosophy, this paper aims to broaden the debate by providing an Ubuntu-inspired perspective on the RG. Ubuntu, deeply rooted in African philosophy, calls for collective responsibility, and offers a uniquely forward-looking approach to address the alleged RG caused by AI in healthcare. An Ubuntu-inspired perspective can serve as a valuable guide and tool when addressing the alleged RG. Incorporating Ubuntu into the AI ethics discourse can contribute to a more ethical and responsible integration of AI in healthcare.
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IT has an enormous potential to democratise, equalise and decolonize development aid; however, the right IT governance is needed to actualize this potential. Such governance must align with the general efforts in development work to decolonize and eradicate adverse power imbalances. Power imbalances are at play when donors from the Global North finance and thereby set the development agenda for the Global South without concern for the actual needs. IT use in development aid is an important tool in decolonisation struggles, but corresponding structures also risk cementing problematic power distributions. As such, guidelines are needed on how to set up and decolonize IT governance structures. Using insights from a case study of a large international development aid NGO and building on the African emancipation philosophy Ubuntu, we propose five organising principles for a decolonized IT governance. These organising principles serve as guidelines to set up decolonized and emancipating IT governance structures and extend current IT governance theories.
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Com a crise do petróleo no início da década de 1970, assistiu-se ao princípio do fim dos “anos dourados” do modelo burocrático. Na década seguinte, o modelo já estava amplamente desacreditado; por conseguinte, condições materiais e intelectuais levaram a crer e defender a superioridade do modelo substituto, a Nova Gestão Pública (NGP). No entanto, estudiosos apontam que a NGP não passa de “crenças pré-científicas”, e Denhardt e Denhardt (2000) propuseram o modelo do Novo Serviço Público (NSP) que, dentre outros aspetos, visa superar o individualismo e o economicismo subjacente à NGP. No entanto, os pressupostos que fundamentam o NSP propõem o resgate de valores que há décadas são defendidos pelo Ubuntu. Questiona-se: o que é Ubuntu, quais são os pressuposto do Novo Serviço Público e quais são os seus pontos de convergência. Em termos ontológicos, este estudo adopta uma visão subjetivista e, epistemologicamente, ancora-se no pós-colonialismo. Este é um estudo de caso associado à pesquisa qualitativa que tecnicamente alicerçou-se na revisão da literatura e análise de discurso. Concluiu-se que as propostas do Novo Serviço Público convergem com os fundamentos do Ubuntu e que, a despeito de serem epistemologias construídas em lados diferentes das fronteiras, podem dialogar e se complementar.
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The increasing view that “traditional, hierarchical views of leadership are less and less useful given the complexities of our modern world” (Lichtenstein et al., Emergence: Complexity and Organization 8:2–12, 2006) and the heightened level of complexity in Africa necessitate an understanding of leadership that is humanistic, the process by which an individual in a leadership role influences others to achieve desire goals through human-centred principles of trust, ethicality, compassion, and engagement. Humanistic leadership has been part of Africa since the pre-modern era (i.e., ancient Egypt) through the Maat philosophy. Maat is a philosophy of the people of ancient Kemet or black Egypt. It “is a fundamental, pervasive, and enduring element in ancient Egyptian civilization and an inclusive and defining cultural category” (Karenga, Maât. The moral ideal in ancient Egypt: A study in classical African ethics, Routledge, 2004). Such leadership is particularly significant in this era of the Africa Union Agenda 2063, which views one of the critical success factors for the achievement of the agenda as “leadership and political commitment with transformational and visionary qualities at all levels and in all fields.” This view is also encapsulated in the World Economic Forum which indicates that “Africa doesn’t need charity, it needs good leadership.” In addition, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, advocates effective leadership in Africa, established an award for good national leaders and a proprietary index that gauges the quality of governance and leadership in African countries (Mo Ibrahim Foundation, Governance progress in Africa stalling, reports Mo Ibrahim, 2015). This award has not been won in eight of the twelve years because no leader has been found worthy of the award. The chapter integrates historical, anthropological, and philosophical accounts of leadership in Africa to situate humanistic leadership in modern Africa. The framework is limited to the period before the colonial eras of Africa (i.e., the Kemetic era). Following a brief review of extant leadership in Africa, I discuss the Maatian view of humanistic leadership. Leveraging that historical perspective, I discuss exemplars of humanistic leaders in modern Africa. Three such leaders are Nelson Mandela (Glad and Blanton, Presidential Studies Quarterly 27:565–590, 1997; Pietersen, Leader to Leader 2015:60–66, 2015), Desmond Tutu (Blankstein et al., Excellence through equity: Five principles of courageous leadership to guide achievement for every student. ASCD, 2016), James Mwangi of Equity Bank of Kenya (Chironga et al., Leadership lessons from Africa’s trailblazers. McKinsey Quarterly, 1–10, 2019). While Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu epitomize the Ubuntu principles of humanism, James Nwangi exemplifies the Maatian humanistic principles. Both the traditional or ancient view of humanistic leadership which is illustrated with modern leaders affords an opportunity for scholars conducting research on humanistic leadership in Africa to ground their studies in Indigenous philosophical and humanistic principles. Humanistic leadership is proposed as a function of decisions and actions of African traditional orientations that derive from Maat philosophy. This perspective unearths the source of modern understanding of humanistic leadership and reorients the field of leadership development and prevention of bad leadership as they relate to management of organizations in Africa.
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Naming of a kind that relegates unwelcome poor strangers is a current challenge in countries that continue to experience substantial migration of destitute individuals. On the basis of African moral philosophy, and specifically an ubuntu/hunhu ethical theory, I examine the ethics of naming and particularly the concern that some names relegate unwelcome poor strangers in the host society. First, I discuss the problem of terms such as “foreign” and the relegation of poor migrants. Secondly, I draw attention to the ethic I am going to use to evaluate names, probing the African philosophy’s understanding of stranger and brother in terms of human dignity. Thirdly, I apply my favored dignity-based ethic to contemplations of naming, demonstrating which kinds of names are demeaning, which instead are apposite, and how various agents should change theirpresent practices. What is distinct and new in this philosophical investigation on naming and the relegation of poor immigrants is that I appeal to ubuntu moral theory and propose positive alternatives about which names should be used along with recommendations for change of practice.
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Throwing a light on African ways of life, I came to realize that African cultures contain fundamental values that could help to deal with certain current challenges our societies are faced with. These values have often been neglected and even ignored in the process of what I have referred to as engaging in “a wrong way” (Ntibagirirwa G (ed) Protest and engagement: philosophy after Apartheid at an historically Black South African University, The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy, 2001). Among these values I shall dwell on that of Ubuntu (humanity or humanness). I will focus on the wealth of Ubuntu in its philosophical foundations and explore how it could serve in the process of reconciliation. The paper will argue that the recurrent intra-/interethnic tensions, conflicts, wars and genocidal massacres that have claimed so many lives in the Great Lakes Region can be traced back to people neglecting the value of Ubuntu that unites us as people far beyond diversities. Thus, for reconciliation to succeed, it must be rooted in the value of Ubuntu. A takeoff of reconciliation based on Ubuntu has a certain number of implications, which all lead to building a modern state in which citizens claim their rights and fulfill their duties based on our common humanity and its underlying socio-ethical values.
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Criminologists adopting a southern or decolonial perspective bemoan the failure to use theories from the Global South in making sense of crime and responses to it. This article takes the African philosophy and ethics of ubuntu and demonstrates how they might be used to ground a more relevant and effective approach to preventing urban violence in South Africa than northern ideas about social cohesion and collective efficacy current in dominant policy discourses. It argues that using indigenous bodies of knowledge like ubuntu can contribute not just to making good some of the damage done by colonial epistemicides but may also offer workable solutions to contemporary social problems in and beyond the Global South.
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The chapter discusses the notion of justice within the communitarian framework. It first presents the communitarian theory in African thought. Secondly, it articulates the normative theory of right and wrong actions. Thirdly, it uses analysis and abstraction to elaborate the meaning of justice within this framework. It is almost impossible to talk about African philosophy without an engagement with the various forms of communitarianism. For this reason, this work will equally attempt to respond to the question above, getting insights from some of the main works in this context. We must avoid the dogmatism of thinking that this is the only genuine philosophical perspective that represents African individuals.
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This contribution reads the current debate on African personhood and human dignity against the backdrop of South African women’s struggle for dignity in the face of persistent and pervasive interpersonal violence perpetrated against them by South African men. The point of departure is Menkiti’s classic description of normative personhood in African “traditional thought”, as translated into “the idiom of modern philosophy”. This starting point exposes two fault lines that run through all African philosophical endeavours: the first is the tension between normative and descriptive emphases, and the second fault line is the tension contained in the very task of ‘translation’—in the need for illuminating the distinctiveness of African notions, while simultaneously rendering them understandable in, and productive for, a modern (universal) philosophical idiom. For Menkiti, what is distinctive about African personhood is that the community takes both ontological and epistemological precedence over the individual. Feminist and other criticisms (Imafidon) show how this notion of personhood becomes discriminatory. In response to these criticisms, Molefe’s nuanced understanding of the internal relationship between the intrinsic and extrinsic worth of persons is linked with the work of Gobodo-Madikizela on forgiveness and the capacity for sympathy. The contribution concludes with the insight that human dignity and personhood (and Ubuntu) in African philosophy should be reconnected with the concrete struggles of the powerless to be recognised and treated as fully human—a tradition with a long and rich history in our part of the world. Only then will we have a critical and incisive enough version of personhood and Ubuntu to tackle the crisis of violence against women and children.
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This chapter describes stories of experience related to the development of my interest in health promoting schools so readers can determine potential biases and make informed judgments about the credibility of research claims. The chapter introduces the philosophy of collectivity known as Ubuntu, which greatly influences my understanding of the world as an African of Bantu lineage. In addition to being a Black health and education professional, my experiences of racism as an African immigrant student in Canada greatly inspired the writing of this book. The chapter concludes by discussing the importance of the book’s theoretical framework of social justice to Black students as historically marginalized school stakeholders.
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Gender inequality is a pervasive problem worldwide and achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) of gender equality is crucial for social progress. In South Africa, gender disparities persist in primary and secondary education, hindering girls' access to quality education and opportunities. This study explores the application of the Ubuntu socio-cultural principle in addressing SDG 5 in South Africa. Ubuntu, an African philosophy emphasizing interconnectedness and humaneness, offers insights into fostering social justice and equality. By integrating Ubuntu principles into education, South African secondary schools can promote inclusive classrooms, gender sensitization programs, peer support, and mentorship. Inclusive education ensures equal participation and opportunities for all students, fostering respect for diversity. Gender sensitization programs raise awareness, challenge stereotypes, and promote empathy and understanding. Peer support and mentorship programs create a supportive network, breaking gender barriers and fostering positive role modelling. Applying Ubuntu principles in South African secondary schools can contribute to achieving SDG 5 by creating an inclusive and respectful educational environment that values and respects all students, regardless of gender. By promoting empathy, understanding, and collective responsibility, Ubuntu can help challenge harmful gender norms and foster dialogue, collaboration, and transformative change towards gender equality.
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Background: People living with multimorbidity in economically precarious circumstances in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) experience a high workload trying to meet self-management demands. However, in countries such as South Africa, the availability of social networks and support structures may improve patient capacity, especially when networks are governed by cultural patterns linked to the Pan-African philosophy of Ubuntu, which promotes solidarity through humanness and human dignity. We explore the mediating role Ubuntu plays in people's ability to self-manage HIV/NCD multimorbidity in underprivileged settings in urban and rural South Africa. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 30 patients living with HIV/NCD multimorbidity between February-April 2022. Patients attended public health clinics in Gugulethu, Cape Town and Bulungula, Eastern Cape. We analysed interviews using framework analysis, using the Cumulative Complexity Model (CuCoM) and Burden of Treatment Theory (BoTT) as frameworks through which to conceptualise the data. Results: Despite facing economic hardship, people with multimorbidity in South Africa were able to cope with their workload. They actively used and mobilized family relations and external networks that supported them financially, practically, and emotionally, allowing them to better self-manage their chronic conditions. Embedded in their everyday life, patients, often unconsciously, embraced Ubuntu and its core values, including togetherness, solidarity, and receiving Imbeko (respect) from health workers. This enabled participants to share their treatment workload and increase self-management capacity. Conclusion: Ubuntu is an important mediator for people living with multimorbidity in South Africa, as it allows them to navigate their treatment workload and increase their social capital and structural resilience, which is key to self-management capacity. Incorporating Ubuntu and linked African support theories into current treatment burden models will enable better understandings of patients' collective support and can inform the development of context-specific social health interventions that fit the needs of people living with chronic conditions in African settings.
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In 2017, Kinfe M. Yilma wrote a review in the Journal of Information Policy, which critiques Alex B. Makulilo’s two books – Privacy and Data Protection in Africa (2014) and African Data Privacy Law (2016). Yilma rejects, among others, Makulilo’s conclusion that the African concept of privacy is more of an import from the West than an indigenous notion. Yilma states that privacy was present in Africa before contact with the West and that the omission of a privacy provision in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Charter) was a “mere drafting oversight”. But Yilma does not provide any proof that privacy existed in Africa before contact with the West. When Makulilo published a reply to this review in 2018, he capitalizes on Yilma’s lack of proof. In his reply, Makulilo reiterates the assertion in his two books by providing some evidence, which to him, proves that privacy is indeed a foreign concept imported to Africa. This paper names this debate between these two leading scholars on privacy in Africa the “Makulilo-Yilma Debate”. The paper will be investigative. It interrogates this debate and will underscore the fallacies contained in it. It will investigate the claims of both scholars. In doing so, it seeks to scrutinize the claim that the absence of a privacy provision in the African Charter was a “mere drafting oversight.” Principally, it will argue, providing legal, cultural, and sociological proofs, that privacy existed in Africa before contact with the West – an exercise lacking in Yilma’s review; and a claim Makulilo has, through his scholarship, disagreed with.
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This article regionalizes the discourse on the evolutive interpretation of human rights treaties to Africa. In it, three broad issues are discussed. First, it discusses the extent to which the African Human Rights Commission and Court may adopt the evolutive interpretation in interpreting the African Charter. Second, it examines the challenges to this interpretation method. Third, it discusses the counterarguments to the challenges. The article argues that two main groups of provisions may support an evolutive interpretation of the African Charter – the “any other status” clause in Article 2; and Articles 60 and 61, referred to as the “decompartmentalization articles.” It finds that the popular notion that evolutive interpretation is contrary to the traditional international law principle of intent and consent and the potential clash of evolutive interpretation with African values are the main challenges to adopting the evolutive interpretation of the African Charter. In turn, the article provides counterarguments to these challenges.
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This article focuses on the role of Ubuntu in South Africa’s foreign policy. Since independence, African intellectuals have tried to develop their own strategies and approaches to solve problems on the continent. These ideas were aimed at rescuing the African younger generation from enslavement by Western culture, to invent new approaches and to reanimate traditional concepts that would contribute not only to the revival but also to the protection of African culture. They were designed to promote traditional values both within the African continent and globally, to be the antithesis of Eurocentrism, to carve new Afrocentric ideas from their own historical experience and current conditions, socio-economic priorities, with African interests at their center. Among modern concepts aimed at protecting Africans and promoting the African position on the global arena is the traditional philosophical system of Ubuntu. It is the ideas of Ubuntu that have been adopted by South African politicians back in the late 90s and formed the basis of South Africa’s foreign and domestic policy. In 2011, the White Paper “Building a Better World: Ubuntu Diplomacy” was published, proclaiming the promotion of a multipolar, just and equitable world order and the desire for development and prosperity in Africa as one of its main theses. South Africa was the first state of the continent to base its foreign policy document on one of the main codes of African identity: Ubuntu. This gave the foreign policy document an African character.The Republic of South Africa presents a unique example of an attempt to implement into state strategy a philosophical concept that is a defining element of African identity, a significant part of the traditional culture for more than 350 million people living almost all over sub-Saharan Africa. The notion of Ubuntu is also reflected in the state documents of the Congo, the Republic of Chad, Uganda, as well as Kenya (harambei). By promoting the Ubuntu philosophy, South Africa claims the existence of African values, spreading their importance in the international space through various instruments of public diplomacy. Various magazines, radio stations and a national Ubuntu Awards have been created. All these tools are aimed at informing and sensitizing the public about South Africa’s foreign policy, promoting a multipolar world and establishing an alternative model to the Western system of individualism.
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This article seeks to highlight the importance of reconciliation in countries emerging from conflict or emerging from a democratic rule towards democratic governance through the adoption of mechanisms of transitional justice or post-conflict justice, This latter varies among judicial mechanisms in the form of criminal, restorative and compensatory trials .
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This chapter develops the view that the relational turn in the social sciences finds a dialogue partner in the relational ontologies of some more collectivistic cultures. Ubuntu, as such a relational ontology from some regions and traditions in Africa, considers human beings to be relationally constituted, rather than seeing relations as a secondary result of individual agency or societal systems. While cautioning against uncritical readings of Ubuntu, the chapter explores the relational approach to cultural commonalities in relation to the African value of Ubuntu. Specifically, the desire to explore and create cultural commonalities for the purpose of enhancing cooperation in contexts of diversity is discussed from a collective perspective on commonalities, viewing Ubuntu as a relational ontology with a resulting ethic.
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Pre-history: From the age of the Neanderthals, care for illness and injury became widespread and depended on the close social bonds developed within groups and the concern for each other’s well-being. With few specific therapeutic measures available, mutual social care appears to have been the mainstay for the protection of life and the promotion of well-being.Early history (ancient civilizations): Evolution into a recognizable physician did not occur until observations were recorded and knowledge could be shared and distributed within a structured society. The first significant records of more formalized medicine appeared in China around 2500 BC. A relatively seamless exchange of culture accompanied trade across land masses. In the second century BC, during the reign of the Babylonian King, Hammurabi, legal aspects of regulating medical malpractice within a society were recorded. The general thrust of the Code of Practice was protection of the individual and that the physician should do no harm. In India, Hindu Ayurvedic medicine encouraged physicians not to undertake unlawful acts during the course of their medical duties. The formal development of an ethical code of medical practice in the West, can be traced to the time of Hippocrates 462–370 BC. His Code of Practice or ‘Oath’ emphasized a need for confidentiality and non-malfeasance. Also crucial are Aristotle’s Eudiamonic and Nicomachean Ethics, seen as reflecting a person-centered medical approach. Further important for medicine and health among early civilizations are the Andean worldview (ethical, solidary, conceptualizing health as equilibrium among the internal, the social and the natural worlds) and the South African (e.g., Ubuntu) humanism.Middle age: The culture and medical practices of the ancient Eastern civilizations, reached the Seleucid Empire—a Hellenistic State in Western Asia—through trade and Westward migration from the third century BC onwards. Then from the second century BC the Sassanid Empire—the last Persian dynasty before Islam—came to benefit from this influx of culture from the East. Records of medical and surgical cases in Rome, during the first century AC exist, including those of Galen, a native of Pergamum in Asia Minor who went to practice in Rome. Galen maintained that there were no separate mental and physical aspects of disease and argued that as the ‘soul’ is affected by physical influences, it must be an integral part of the body.The physicians Razzes and Avicenna centered on Baghdad contributed to the ‘Golden Age’ of Arab or Islamic medicine from eighth to thirteenth century. This was accompanied by the emergence of the world’s first hospitals. The Islamic invasion of the Iberian Peninsula in 711 AC took this wealth of knowledge across civilizations and continents to Northern Europe. Maimonides (1135–1204 CE) was a Jewish physician who lived in Spain under Arab rule which afforded intellectual freedom. He proposed a Prayer or Code of Practice which aimed to prevent attempts to ‘frustrate the wisest purpose of our Art’.Plague was inflicted on Egypt, as is recorded in the Book of Exodus. Subsequently, travel and trade led to the introduction of disease and plagues between communities. Following the Crusades, leprosy was introduced into England by the returning Crusaders. This gave rise to ‘leper’ hospitals such as St. John’s in Oxford and St. Nicholas’ in Canterbury. The first hospital in the UK to look after patients with more general medical problems was St. Bartholomew’s in London founded in 1123.The invention of printing by Johannes Guttenberg in 1440 was a development of enormous importance for the dissemination of general, professional and scientific information.Modern and contemporary ages: The rediscovery of the person in the arts and the cultivation of the humanities denote the profile of the Modern Age. Its later phases involved the development of illustration and rationalism, which contributed to the bases of the French Revolution and the emergence of the Contemporary Age.A period of great advances and discovery was ushered in from the seventeenth century. Observation, measurement and classification, made possible by technical advances in many fields. In optics this led to the development of the microscope. Wilhelm Roentgen’s discovery of X-rays in 1895 in Germany and subsequent demonstration of the properties of radioactive isotopes by Marie Curie in Paris during the early twentieth century opened a whole new field of therapy. This eventually led to CT scanning and body imaging.When Howard Florey and EB Chain, both immigrants to the UK, searched for possible antibacterial agents before World War Two, they rediscovered Alexander Fleming’s stray contaminant, penicillin. This led to a worldwide search for other agents. The impact of the discovery in 1953 of the double helix building blocks of DNA by Francis Crick and James Watson has given rise to an enormous amount of research, including that on the completion of the Human Genome. This has given insight and understanding not only for medical care, but also of evolution, while revealing the complexity and diversity of diseases and the potential value of whole person approaches.The introduction of scientific and experimental methodology in clinical medicine in the nineteenth century increased demand for experimentation on human subjects, particularly in bacteriology, immunology and physiology. As a result of injury to some patients, regulations were introduced to exercise some control. The outcome was the Declaration of Helsinki by the World Medical Association in 1964.The escalating costs of health care related to the advances of medicine has put an emphasis on health systems, which are becoming increasingly dominant, often at the expense of humanism in patient care. In response, physicians such as the spiritually-minded Paul Tournier from Switzerland and psychologists and educators such as Carl Rogers in the United States, championed the centrality of the person in health care.Partly as reactions to reductionistic Flexnerian medical education and “evidence-based-medicine” models and dehumanized health systems, more encompassing models and programmatic movements that articulate science and humanism have emerged under the general term of person centered medicine. Such programmatic movements, such as that built by the International College of Person Centered Medicine, have partnered with global health institutions such as the World Medical Association concerning ethical commitment in healthcare, and with the World Health Organization and its regional branches concerning strategies for persons- and people-centered health services.KeywordsHistoryPerson centered medicinePublic healthNeanderthalsAncient civilizationsMiddle ageModern ageContemporary ageCulture
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This chapter considers two models of moral education in primary and secondary schools. The first takes moral education to be a discrete subject while the second makes the case that moral education is best understood as being a part of an institution’s culture. The author finds the latter articulation to be more compelling and suggests that the philosophy of ubuntu would support this institutionally global approach to moral education. The author recognises criticisms of ubuntu but concludes that application of Ubuntu-based approaches would nevertheless be a fruitful endeavour.
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In the day-to-day routines of education, teachers are often left with the impression that the challenges they face are permanent and universal, yet a remarkable diversity of contexts and approaches—some of which may embody solutions—is among the most common findings to arise from studies in international-comparative education.
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This chapter explores the values-laden nature of pedagogy and practice in educational systems in the international context. Recognition of such values are often denied in the process of objectification of knowledge, as is prevalent in the mathematical sciences (see Bishop, 2000, 2001; Bishop, Gunstone, Clarke, & Corrigan, 2006; Bishop, 2007, 2008), but also through the “New Knowledge Economy” supported by standards and evidence-based approaches to education that have become increasingly dominant on an international scale. Rather than denying the values-laden nature of contemporary education thereby creating unattended-to shadows and ghosts in the Demidean (1994) sense, acknowledgement and embrace is advocated. This enables a redirection of the purpose of educational practice towards democratic values that, with critical embrace, would better prepare youth for the glocal conditions they face in a globalized world that is increasingly under ecological, political and economic stress.
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Skepticism and disappointment have replaced the initial enthusiasm about CRM. The disappointing results of CRM-projects are often related to difficulties that managers encounter in embedding CRM in their strategy and organization structure. In this article we present a classification scheme on how CRM can be strategically embedded in organizations using the value disciplines of Treacy and Wiersema. We use the findings from three case studies to illustrate our classification. Based on these case studies and interviews with managers we distinguish between strategic and tactical CRM, and derive important issues that managers should consider before successfully implementing CRM.
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This book mediates a dialectics between power and subjectivity versus history and politics. The invention of Africa is not merely a residue of Africa's encounter with Europe but a project in continuity in contemporary history of Africa, where history has become a location of struggle and meaning, a location of power and domination. Eze contends that postcolonial African studies that thrive by way of unanimity, analogy, or homogenenity are merely advancing a "defeatist" historicism. It attempts to gain essence by inverting the terms of colonial discourse and is decisively implicated in the very logic of coloniality. This method of historiography not only stifles the overall socio-political imagination of contemporary Africa but offers a dogmatic blueprint for politics of domination. Eze argues that a chance for an African Renaissance is dependent on review mechanisms of African historiography.
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There is one thing about some of the first crop of post independence rulers of Africa that I admire greatly. It is their keen sense of the practical importance of philosophy. Preeminent among them were leaders like Nkrumah, Senghor, Nyerere, Awolowo, Kaunda, and Sekou Toure. Amidst the awesome exigencies of postcolonial reconstruction they still devoted considerable attention to the philosophical bases of their programs. It can be debated whether the limits of the appreciation of the relevance of theory to practice were not touched in Nkrumah's Consciencism in which proof of the consistency of his “revolutionary” propositions was offered by means of mathematical logic, but there can be no doubt of the sincerity of the underlying passion. South African Journal of Philosophy Vol. 27 (4) 2008: pp. 332-339
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Post-apartheid South Africa has seen a resurgence of cultural nationalism, presenting itself in the form of Ubuntu. Instead of developing democratic institutions and a viable democratic culture, an obsession with nation building has developed, the nature of which, and the strategies of exclusion that are employed to promote it, is contrary to the development of democracy. The continuities from cultural nationalist ideologies of the apartheid era into the post-apartheid present reveal this clearly. The nationalist ideology of Ubuntu glorifies an imagined past. With its emphasis on community values, it promotes an attitude of conformity. The ambivalent relationship between the process of truth and reconciliation and the project of nation building is also analysed in this article.
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The notion of ubuntu and communalism is of great importance in anAfrican educational discourse, as well as inAfrican Philosophy of Education and in Africanphilosophical discourse. Ubuntu is aphilosophy that promotes the common good ofsociety and includes humanness as an essentialelement of human growth. In African culture the community always comesfirst. The individual is born out of and intothe community, therefore will always be part ofthe community. Interdependence, communalism, sensitivity towards others and caring for others are all aspects of ubuntu as a philosophy of life (Le Roux, 2000, p. 43). The community and belonging to acommunity is part of the essence of traditionalAfrican life. Philosophy of life and Philosophyof Education, thus, go together, because aphilosophy of life helps to identify the goalsand purposes that a particular society holdsdear. Humanness is very important in Africanphilosophy in the sense of seeing human needs,interests and dignity as fundamental to humanexistence and therefore it will also beimportant in African Philosophy of Education(Letseka, 2000, p. 182). According to Letseka(2000, p. 186) nobody is born with botho orubuntu– these are communally acceptedand desirable ethical standards that a personacquires throughout his/her life and thereforeeducation also plays a very important role intransferring the African philosophy of life.
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