Ubuntu

The concept of ubuntu is an alternative to individualistic and utilitarian philosophies that tend to dominate in the West. It is a Zulu/Xhosa word, with parallels in many other African languages, which is most directly translated into English as ‘humanness'. Its sense, however, is perhaps best conveyed by the Nguni expression ‘umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu’, which means ‘a person is a person through other people’.

The origins of ubuntu as a concept can be traced to the Bantu peoples of southern Africa, although the philosophy is now shared across much of the continent. It is perhaps best understood as a social philosophy—based on principles of care and community, harmony and hospitality, respect and responsiveness—that expresses the fundamental interconnectedness of human existence. It has been described as a philosophy of peace and is perhaps best known as a guiding concept of the African Renaissance, spearheaded by post-colonial and post-apartheid leaders in South Africa such as Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu and Thabo Mbeki, in which Africans are urged to re-engage with African values. It has been an important concept in the reform of education and public services in post-apartheid South Africa and offered a framework for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which bore witness to the injustices of the apartheid era from the perspective of both perpetrators and victims.

Whilst the origins of ubuntu are distinctly African, parallels have been drawn with similar concepts in other societies, including the Chinese philosophy of Jen, the Filipino philosophy of Loob and the Russian concept of Obschina. Similar concepts are also illustrated in the writings of certain European philosophers such as Emmanuel Levinas and Paul Ricoeur, although no comparable word exists in the English language.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu has called ubuntu ‘the gift that Africa will give the world’ and, along with others, has called for its wider application well beyond Africa. Former US president Bill Clinton has also been a staunch advocate and promoted it through his foundation as well as in high-profile speeches in the USA and UK. The term has also become well known through its use as the name for an open-source computer operating system and even as a brand of fair-trade cola, although these are not the focus of this article.