The African Perspective

THE AFRICAN PHILOSOPHY OF UBUNTU

The term Ubuntu/Botho/Hunhu is a Zulu/Xhosa/Ndebele/Sesotho/Shona word referring to the moral attribute of a person, who is known in the Bantu languages as Munhu (Among the Shona of Zimbabwe), Umuntu (Among the Ndebele of Zimbabwe and the Zulu/Xhosa of South Africa) and Muthu (Among the Tswana of Botswana) and Omundu (Among the Herero of Namibia) to name just a few of the Bantu tribal groupings. Philosophically, the term Ubuntu emphasises the importance of a group or community and it finds its clear expression in the Nguni/Ndebele phrase: umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu which when translated to Shona means munhu munhu muvanhu (a person is a person through other persons).

Words on Ubuntu by Michael Onyebuchi Eze.

"A person is a person through other people, strikes an affirmation of one's humanity through recognition of an "other" in his or her uniqueness and difference. It is a demand for a creative intersubjective formation in which the "other" becomes a mirror (but only a mirror) for my subjectivity. This idealism suggests to us that humanity is not embedded in my person solely as an individual; my humanity is cosubstantially bestowed upon the other and me. Humanity is a quality we owe to each other. We create each other and need to sustain this otherness creation. And if we belong to each other, we participate in our creations: we are because you are, and since you are, definitely I am. The "I am" is not a rigid subject, but a dynamic self-constitution dependent on this otherness creation of relation and distance."

Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Ubuntu.

One of the sayings in our country is Ubuntu - the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can't exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can't be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality - Ubuntu - you are known for your generosity.

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. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity.

A person with Ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, based from a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed.

Nelson Mandela has said to be an embodiment of the Philosophy, ubuntu, at his memorial Barack Obama shared these words:

'There is a word in South Africa - Ubuntu - a word that captures Mandela's greatest gift: his recognition that we are all bound together in ways that are 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.

Ubuntu throughout Africa

In Malawi, the same philosophy is called "uMunthu" in the local Chewa language. According to the Catholic Diocese of Zomba bishop Rt. Rev. Fr. Thomas Msusa, "The African worldview is about living as one family, belonging to God".] Msusa noted that in Africa "We say 'I am because we are', or in Chichewa kali kokha nkanyama, tili awiri ntiwanthu (when you are on your own you are as good as an animal of the wild; when there are two of you, you form a community)."The philosophy of uMunthu has been passed on through proverbs such as Mwana wa mnzako ngwako yemwe, ukachenjera manja udya naye (your neighbor's child is your own, his/her success is your success too).

The Botswana people use the term botho to describe a person who has a well-rounded character and realizes his or her full potential both as an individual and as a part of the community to which he or she belongs. Botho is an example of a social contract of mutual respect, responsibility and accountability that members of society have toward each other and defines a process for earning respect by first giving it, and to gain empowerment by empowering others.

References

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.

Via African Native

By National Agenda Television Post

WHY THE U.S REJECTED FUNDING THE NEW MISSION IN SOMALIA

To redefine US-Africa engagement, Washington must recognize the power of the African diaspora

The United States needs to pay more attention to the digital identity economy. In my work researching how African diaspora communities in the United States maintain their connections to their homelands, I have found that long-standing experiences involving racism, combined with growing anti-immigrant sentiments, have led many members of the African diaspora to strengthen their ties to the continent.

THE AFRICAN PHILOSOPHY OF UBUNTU

Enemy Within or Seeking Geostrategic and National Interests?

To Stay or To Go: Comrades in Arms or Colonizers in the Frontlines? Statement by Malian Interim President General Assimi Goita

Those who say that France hasn't done anything or that France has to stay. I have been on the frontline with them, I have eaten with them, I patrolled with them, and I listened to their radio.

Why Is It So Difficult for Africans to Comprehend That Any Foreign Interests, Corporations, Or Countries Are Not on Our Continent for Our Benefit?

The difficulty in recognizing that foreign interests often prioritize their own agendas over African benefit stems from a mix of historical, economic, and psychological factors.

Our Skinfolks Are Not Always Our Kinfolks

The Cote d'Ivoire president Alassane Ouattara and the Africom commander General Michael Langley. History tells us that they always use one of us to infiltrate us. When are we going to stop focusing on greed driven personal gains? When are we going to start thinking about our collective interests? When are we going to go back to our foundational values of Ubuntu and Agbajowo? As long as we focus on capitalism, there will always be those who will betray us.