Mtandao creates, aggregates and disseminates information and resources to facilitate Social Work and Development Work in Africa.
by Richard W-E-S-A Kawesa, Kampala, Uganda Ubuntu is a set of values that, when lived, become a function of one’s identity to the fullest extent of what makes one – like all of similar persuasion – a human being. To that end, “I am because we are” is an incomplete statement for as long as…
The 2026 World Social Work Day Masterclass, hosted jointly by the Association of Schools of Social Work in Africa (ASSWA) and the Africa Social Work and Development Network (ASWDNet) on 13 March 2026, focused on the theme “Co-Building Hope and Harmony: A Harambee Call to Unite a Divided Society.” The one-hour session brought together social…
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Authors:Janestic Mwende TwikirizeRugare MugumbateChinwe R. NwannaMfundo Mandla MasukuSharlotte TusasiirweRobert Kudakwashe ChigangaidzeBernard MayakaReceived 16 Jul 2025, Accepted 17 Feb 2026, Published online: 04 Mar 2026All authors are members of the Ubuntu Research Group (URG) organised by ASWDNetAccess this article https://doi.org/10.1080/15426432.2026.2635374 Cite as: Twikirize, J. M., Mugumbate, R., Nwanna, C. R., Masuku, M. M., Tusasiirwe, S., Chigangaidze,…
“Ubuntu is anti-hegemonic”, Professor Kebede. To be anti or counter-hegemonic means that this African philosophy directly challenges, resists, and offers an alternative to dominant Western, neoliberal, and individualistic power structures. “Leaders who embody Ubuntu prioritise the welfare of their people, viewing leadership as a service to the community rather than a position of power”, Professor…
Africa has always had something powerful to offer the world, not only in resources, art, and culture, including human resources through migration and slavery, but also in wisdom. At the heart of this wisdom is Ubuntu, a philosophy of reciprocity and justice: I am because we are. Ubuntu is not an abstract idea, it is…
Feminism in Africa has often been framed through a Western lens, ignoring the continent’s unique cultural, social, and historical realities. While Western feminism emphasizes individualism and gender antagonism, African societies have long thrived on complementary gender roles rooted in Ubuntu, the philosophy of interconnectedness. Western Feminism and its Limitations in the African Context Western feminism…
The innovative Ubuntu Digital Platform, packed with 491 resources and growing, has gained traction in the region. Recently, this resourceful learning and teaching product was showcased at the International Social Work & Social Development Conference 2025 in Uganda by the by Professor Janestic Twikirize and Eriya Turyamureeba. The video of this presentation and many other…
WHAT IS UBUNTU AUTHORING? – DR RUGARE MUGUMBATE UBUNTU AND HISTORY OF SOCIAL SERVICES – EDWARD MUZONDO AFRICA-CENTRED AUTHORING – DR SHARLOTTE TUSASIIRWE UBUNTU AND DEVELOPMENT WORK – WILSON ZVOMUYA AUTHORING UBUNTU EXPERIENCE – PRIFESSOR TWIKIRIZE UBUNTU AUTHORING EXPERIENCE – DR RUGARE MUGUMBATE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND UBUNTU – PHILLIP BOHWASI AUTHORING UBUNTU DISCUSSION AUTHORING UBUNTU…
Ubuntu is practised, lived and shared among all African peoples. We do not yet know what the Hadza call Ubuntu in Hadzane language, but we know it exists among them—just as it exists among many other Black African peoples across the continent. Whether they are Bantu, Kush, Nile-Sahara, San, Khoi Khoi, Sandawe, Bambenga (Mbenga), Bambuti…
Now live, the Ubuntu Digital Platform was developed on the Ushahidi platform, a knowledge crowd sourcing application developed in Kenya. The platform is a dedicated website that contains, in an engaging interactive manner, videos, lectures, photographs, audios, illustrations, stories and other resources. The project was launched by Professor Antoinette Lombard (IASSW President) during the Day…
Journal website: www.ubuntu.africasocialwork.net Supported by Zivo Publishing, the Journal of Ubuntu/Nyingi waUbuntu provides a platform for the publishing of high quality articles on all aspects of Ubuntu philosophy and all levels of Ubuntu which are: The journal takes an interdisciplinary approach. 1124 Empirical evidence on the names and values of Africa’s philosophy of Ubuntu 1224 Ophelia Settle Egypt…
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Lecturer: Dr Charles Kalinganire, University of Rwanda Plan to attend the last event of the year – The Annual Ubuntu Lecture, now in its 3rd year. Date: 12 December 2024 Time: 9:00 AM South/Central African Time
Conceptualised by Xweso[1] and Gwam[2] (2024) Ubudlelaneis an isiXhosa term meaning ‘ukwabelana’ which translates to ‘to share’. This concept is deeply embedded in human sociability and communal living, reflecting values that transcend national boundaries. In the Shona language, Ubudlelane is synonymous with ‘kupanana’. The philosophy of Ubudlelane is epitomised by the African proverb ‘ukuqhe’kezelana…
The Ubuntu Digital Platform project was launched by Professor Antoinette Lombard (IASSW incoming President)) during the Day of the African Child Students Conference (online) on 14 June 2024. The platform is developed on the Ushahidi, a knowledge crowd sourcing application developed in Kenya. Details of the Project and Project Team Aim, Rationale and Purpose of…
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The ASWDNet is happy to announce its first two Online Courses (Free) — Visit our Mfundo Training Portal for Research Ethics Courses (REC) and Ubuntu Basics Course. Training opened on June 1 and closes on December 31 2024. Free certificates are available on completion. The Ubuntu Course was developed by the Ubuntu Research Group.
Rwanda ended up being banned from a trade deal with the US called AGOA – for raising tariffs to discourage and eventually remove import second hand clothes in 2016! Three other countries that had banned second hand clothes – Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania – backed down and accepted second hand clothes but Rwanda has maintained…
The Adinkra people are an Akan tribe of Ghana, West of Africa. Their symbol is a bird called Sankofa. Like many African tribes, the Akan’s literature found in their rich oral traditions and symbols. The Sankofa (shown below) is not just a bird, it is orature. Sankofa teachings have now been collected into an academic…
