Ubuntu (ideology)
Ubuntu, pronounced /ùbúntú/ (oo-BOON-too), is a sub-Saharan African ethic or ideology focusing on people's allegiances and relations with each other. The word has its origin in the Bantu languages of Southern Africa. Ubuntu is seen as a traditional African concept.
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Meaning
There are many possible translations in English for ubuntu, including:
- "Humanity towards others"
- "I am because we are"
- "A person 'becomes human' through other persons"
- "A person is a person because of other persons"
A popular definition of ubuntu is, "the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity."[1]
An attempt at a longer definition has been made by Archbishop Desmond Tutu (1999):
| A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has 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. |
Louw (1998) suggests that the concept of ubuntu defines the individual in terms of their several relationships with others, and stresses the importance of ubuntu as a religious concept. He states that while the Zulu maxim umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu ("a person is a person through other persons") may have no apparent religious connotations in the context of Western society, in an African context it suggests that the person one is to become by behaving with humanity is an ancestor worthy of respect or veneration. Those who uphold the principle of ubuntu throughout their lives will, in death, achieve a unity with those still living.
Change in South Africa
Ubuntu is seen as one of the founding principles of the new republic of South Africa, and is connected to the idea of an African Renaissance.[citation needed] In the political sphere, the concept of ubuntu is used to emphasise the need for unity or consensus in decision-making, as well as the need for a suitably humanitarian ethic to inform those decisions.[citation needed]
The concept of ubuntu is illustrated in the film In My Country, about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, starring Samuel L. Jackson and Juliette Binoche.
Zimbabwe
In the Shona language, the majority spoken language in Zimbabwe after English, ubuntu is unhu. The concept of ubuntu is viewed the same in Zimbabwe as in other African cultures, and the Zulu saying is also common in Shona: munhu munhu nevanhu. Other manifestations of ubuntu are that it is taboo to call elderly people by their given names, and daughters-in-law traditionally kneel down when greeting their parents-in-law and save them food as a sign of respect.
Example from Nelson Mandela
| A traveller through our country would stop at a village, and he didn't have to ask for food or for water. Once he stops, the people give him food, entertain him. That is one aspect of Ubuntu but has various aspects. |
Broader use
The "Ubuntu" distribution of the Linux computer operating system is inspired by the concept, arguing that it "brings the spirit of Ubuntu to the software world." [2][3]
Former American president Bill Clinton used the term at the 2006 Labour Party conference in the UK to explain why society is important.[4]
The term was utilized as the theme for the 2003 ELCA Youth Gathering.
References
- ^ Our heritage: a view of the future?
- ^ Ubuntu: Linux for Human Beings
- ^ Ubuntu: Code of Conduct
- ^ Coughlan, Sean. "All you need is ubuntu", BBC News Magazine, BBC, 2006-09-28. Retrieved on 2006-09-29.
Further reading
- Ubuntu - African Philosophy
- A definition of ubuntu
- Abstract of an article about the relation between ubuntu and the law by Y. Mokgoro
- Tutu, Desmond (1999). No Future Without Forgiveness. Image. ISBN 0-385-49690-7.
- Louw, Dirk J. 1998. "Ubuntu: An African Assessment of the Religious Other". Twentieth World Congress of Philosophy.
- Ubuntu A brief discussion including an expanded description by Desmond Tutu
- Web video of Nelson Mandela explaining what ubuntu is
- All you need is ubuntu
- Nelson Mandela Explains the Concept of Ubuntu (file info)
- In this video from the Ubuntu project, Nelson Mandela explains the concept of Ubuntu. In case of problems, see media help.
- Ramose, Mogobe B. (2003) 'The philosophy of ubuntu and ubuntu as a philosophy', in P.H. Coetzee & A.P.J. Roux (eds.) The African Philosophy Reader (2nd ed.) New York/London: Routledge, 230-238.
- Samkange, S. & Samkange, T.M. (1980) Hunhuism or Ubuntuism: A Zimbabwe indigenous political philosophy. Salisbury [Harare]: Graham Publishing.
- Ambrose, David. (2006) 'Your Life Manual: Practical Steps to Genuine Happiness': Revolution Mind Publishing, 37-40.
- Matshe, Getrude Born On The Continent - Ubuntu. (self-published)
Categories
Articles with unsourced statements | Sociology | Ethical schools and movements | African culture