The text below has excepts from: Mayaka, B. van Breda, A. D. Uwihangana, C. and Mugumbate, R. (2023). The Ubuntu Practitioner in Historical and Contemporary Contexts (Editors – Mayaka, B. van Breda, A. D. Uwihangana, C.). The Ubuntu Practitioner: Social Work Perspectives. Rheinfelden, IFSW.
People who are indigenous to Africa are mainly classified based on language groups and their historical livelihoods and migration patterns (Katanekwa, 2021). The groups are named and explained in the following sections. The last part will focus more on rock literature of the San people.
Bantu languages group
The Bantu languages group is estimated to have 240 to 350 million people speaking over 500 different languages (Koile et al., 2022). They are historically livestock keepers and crop planters, and this is their main form of livelihood today (Katanekwa, 2021). Their first known settlements were at Mambilla, in West Africa at the border of present-day Nigeria and Cameroon, where they stayed in large numbers over 4000 years ago (Katanekwa, 2021).
The Kush languages group
The Kush languages group speak languages classified as Kush, so at times they are referred to as Kushites, and they speak Afroasian languages, which means their languages are a mix of languages from Africa and Asia (Katanekwa, 2021). The exact number of this group is not known but runs into tens of millions. In terms of livelihoods, this group are livestock keepers, crop growers and fishermen (Katanekwa, 2021). Values of collectivity and communality are prominent in this group too.
The Nile-Sahara group
The Nile-Sahara (sometimes called Nilo-Saharan) people are so called because the Nile River is important to many of them, and some are found in the Sahara Desert area (Katanekwa, 2021). The population of this group is estimated to be between 50 to 60 million. In terms of livelihoods, this group keeps livestock and grows crops (Katanekwa, 2021). Values of collectivity and communality are prominent in this group too.
The Bambenga (Mbenga), Bambuti (Mbuti) and Batwa (Twa)
The fourth largest group of about half a million people the Bambenga (Mbenga), Bambuti (Mbuti) and Batwa (Twa). They are short in stature. They historically survived on the bush (Koile et al., 2022, Katanekwa, 2021). Presently, they are found in the Congo rain forest in larger numbers, but also in other countries such as Uganda where they are found in the Echuya Forest Reserve in Kisoro and Kabale Districts in the South-West of the country.
The Clicking Sounds Languages Group
The clicking sound languages group has about 130 000, is made up of people whose language has clicking sounds. These include the San, the Khoi Khoi, the Hadzabe (Hadza, singular) and the Sandawe. Although their languages have commonalities and they are all found in Southern Africa, research has not shown that these were originally the same people.
The San and Khoi are spread across Southern Africa countries, while the Hadza and Sandawe are found in Tanzania (also classified as East Africa). These groups historically survived on the bush, moving frequently from place to place in small groups (Kusimba & Kusimba, 2011). Their knowledge of animals, plants and generally the environment is vast. The Khoi also kept small animals such as goats and sheep. The San do not farm the soil or keep animals. The San, Khoi, Hadza and Sandawe are all highly collective and communal people. Child rearing is a responsibility of everyone; it is a cooperative affair.
Addressing Marginalisation of Other Groups
In countries where they are found, there has been less or no recognition of the life, livelihoods and environmental responsibilities of the San, the Khoi Khoi, the Hadzabe (Hadza, singular) and the Sandawe, Bambenga (Mbenga), Bambuti (Mbuti) and Batwa (Twa). Social work and social workers have a role to play to address this imbalance, including advocating their governments, regional institutions and the African Union to take action.
The SAn People
Rock literature of the San People
Colonially called rock art, but actually rock literature, this consists of several forms of paintings of rocks in Southern Africa, including Lesotho, Eswatini, South Africa, Botswana, Angola and Namibia. The paint was made of ground rock or blood or charcoal and fat. The painting has lasted all these years, attesting to the innovation of Black people, and their capacity to manufacture and create thousands of years ago. One of the paintings is estimated to be 73 000 years old. Some were made in about 1800.
The painting was a form of communication and information storage. They communicate philosophy, culture and everyday life of the people, including the animals they hunted or people they interacted with. Generally, the paintings give us a glimpse of San philosophy. Form them we see the values of collectivity, communality, family, spirituality and environmentalism.
(Pictures from https://wildmoz.com, taken from Zimbabwe, unless indicated).
The knowledge from the drawings has been very useful for ecologists and contributes to their work in environment conservation and change.
The eland which is a type of an antelope (probably the main San source of food or probably their respected and symbolic animal) is the most popular animal, but there are also elephants, snakes, fish, insects and others. There are also aliens, which could be spiritual. Cattle and dogs appeared later as the San interacted with the Bantu who are farmers.
The following image from www.karoospace.co.za, depicts migration, of the San of other groups.
Another meaning was spiritual. Some of the drawings depicted culture, people in ceremony, dances, trance or healing sessions. God’s name is /Kaggen among San people. Kaggen is the protector, creator of all things and owner of the environment and people. For the San, God can be foolish or wise, tiresome or helpful. God takes many forms. There is another spiritual being who opposes Kaggen and causes suffering, deaths and sickness. Despite this clarity of religion, colonisers thought their view of God was more powerful, and sought to replace the San’s view.
The buttocks dance is still very popular in African cultures and contemporary dances.
The following image from www.karoospace.co.za, depicts the Mantis dance.
Some of the paintings depicted plants used for treatment and other purposes.
After arrival of white missionaries and explorers in the 1500, new images emerged of horses, steam trains, soldiers, settlers and guns. There are several lessons from these literature. One of them is protest, the people were protesting colonisation of the culture, land, religion and sovereignty.
The paintings are found in caves like this one. The caves were shelters and places of ceremony, prayer and worship.
San Code of Ethics
San people have developed a code of ethics that is primarily based on African values, including the value of decolonising knowledge extraction.
A crucial lesson from this code is that we have to do away with European or American-centred ethics. A read through codes of ethics of Uganda and South Africa shows that they are almost direct replicas of western codes of ethics.
Mentoring among the San
Mentoring happens everyday but more specifically at
A boy’s first kill – this is focused on imparting skills for for production and transition to adulthood.
A girl’s puberty – this is focused on imparting skills for health, hygiene and transition to adulthood.
The quote below is from https://www.krugerpark.co.za/africa_bushmen.html
Today, the San suffer from a perception that their lifestyle is ‘primitive’ and that they need to be made to live like the majority cattle-herding tribes. Specific problems vary according to where they live. In South Africa, for example, the !Khomani now have most of their land rights recognised, but many other San tribes have no land rights at all. Few modern San are able to continue as hunter-gatherers, and most live at the very bottom of the social scale, in unacceptable conditions of poverty, leading to alcoholism, violence, prostitution, disease and despair.
The last of the hunter-gatherers were forcibly evicted from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve as recently as April 2002, by the Botswana government to make way for diamond mines. A court case is currently in existence to help the San claim their land.The official reason was to provide them with services such as schools and medical services, and to bring them into modern society. In fact, few of these services have materialized, and the San have been confined to bleak encampments in a hostile environment. The San are a friendly, creative, and peaceful people, who never developed any weapons of war, and have lived in harmony with their natural environment for at least 20 000 years. Properly restored to their ancestral lands, and reintegrated into the game reserves of southern Africa, San communities could become self-sustaining.
The hardiness of the San allowed them to survive their changed fortunes and the harsh conditions of the Kalahari Desert in which they are now mostly concentrated. Today, the small group that remains has adopted many strategies for political, economic and social survival.
The San retain many of their ancient practices but have made certain compromises to modern living. The westernised myths regarding the San have caused considerable damage (an example is The Gods Must be Crazy movie). They portray the San as simple, childlike people without a problem in the world. This could not be further from the truth.
Due to absorption but mostly extinction, the San may soon cease to exist as a separate people. Unfortunately, they may soon only be viewed in national museums. Their traditions, beliefs and culture may soon only be found in historical journals.
Modern art
Insights
Common among all the groups are values of collectivity, communality, the environment and spirituality. These groups have worked together to for many years to build and develop Ubuntu philosophy. This should dispel the myths and mistaken belief that Ubuntu originated from the Bantu or from South Africa.
Black Africans have more in common than what divides them. It was a colonial idea to portray Black Africans as more divided to enable colonisation.
Our social work has followed what westerners told us was social work, we should shape our social work according to our needs and social issues. The issue of the rights of the Hadzabe, the Masarwa and the San should be part of African social work.
When we talk about decolonising social work, it should include reversing the colonial view that these groups were not ‘worth’ including in social and development programs.
African social work associations need to revise their code of ethics so that they are grounded in African philosophy. This process does not cost any money, it only requires determination.
The rock literature is an important method in research. It is a source of data – data that can be reviewed and analysed to get newer understandings of San philosophy and life. Further, the paintings demonstrate a photo or picture research method and more so, they represent a convenient and culturally relevant method of disseminating findings.
African understanding of God or spirituality is their godview and is valid.
Social work, at all levels (community, national, continental and global) must respond to the needs of all groups of Black people in Africa. Often, minority groups are neglected and made invisible.
Important to value San art as literature, not only in social work but in all early, lower and higher education.
Finally, it is impossible to see how western methods and values of individualism and capitalism could be the centre of African social work. African social workers know what needs to be done to make social work relevant to Africa. Unfortunately, action has been very slow. Western methods have failed, but Africa maintains or imitates them, showing a lack of creativity.
If about 73 000 years ago, our ancestors manufactured paint that lasted until now, what stops us from creating and innovating solutions to our social problems.
*The word Black was removed from the title to be accommodating of views against its use in reference to Africans.
**The word Pygmies has been removed as it is contested and viewed as derogatory.
Comments (2) on “People of Africa Are Not One Group, But Have A Common Philosophy”
People living in Africa are called Africans and Not blacks, People of India are not called brown People but Indians, why should Africans be referred as black?
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Thank you Angelina for reading our post and for your feedback. After careful consideration, we have revised the title.
ASWNet Admin
People living in Africa are called Africans and Not blacks, People of India are not called brown People but Indians, why should Africans be referred as black?
Thank you Angelina for reading our post and for your feedback. After careful consideration, we have revised the title.
ASWNet Admin