Tatu (3). Applying Ubuntu
Ubuntu in Simpler-Practical Terms and Everyday Usage
Star by watching this short video about beads and Ubuntu. After watching, think about different other ways Ubuntu exists in every day life.
Familyhood (Ukama)
- In Ubuntu communities, we talk of families, not family. A person has families, not family. An adult married person has these families (1) their children, husband or wife/wives (2) the husband or wife with their siblings, father and mother (4) grandparents and their children (5) clan – grandparents and their siblings and parents (6) tribe – grandparents and their grandparents (7) ancestors – all deceased members
- Under Ubuntu, there are no aunties from the mother’s side, there are mothers. There are no uncles from the father’s side, there are fathers. An African has many mothers.
- There are no cousins, there are brothers and sisters.
- There is no step-mother or step-father, they are fathers and mothers.
- Father’s sister, babekazi or tete, is an important person, she is a father.
- Adoption of children only expected when there is a biological relationship. The adoption of African children by white people is viewed as colonisation and theft.
- Ubuntu does not allow or promote wife or husband beating or domestic violence or abuse, it favours dialogue through other family members and community channels. If there is love, there is no violence. Wife beating is one of the strongest sources of devaluation for men.
- Having children is highly valued and actively promoted.
- Marriage (of a man and woman) is highly valued and actively promoted.
- Being a grandparent, holding and teaching your grandkids, is one of the highest honours in life.
- Exchange of gifts at marriage, between families is highly valued and promoted to cement relations started through marriage. The family of the husband pays more because the children will have his surname and the wife will live with him and his family. The payment is made in several instalments of livestock or cash contributed by the family not just the person marrying. The total cost of gifts paid is a token, far less in value compared to a wedding ring or the cost of a western wedding. The priority is relations not economic gain. A human being can never be priced.
- Interracial marriages are devalued because of the challenge of maintaining familyhood.
- Older people are not put in Old People’s Homes or institutions – it is a shame. They are cared for at home.
- Parents – not to be disrespected.
- Elders – are to be respected.
Personhood
- A long life is valued.
- Deep respect is valued.
- Generosity and sharing are valued.
- Giving, helping and volunteering are valued.
- Calling people by their first names is a taboo, rather use family name, clan names e.g. Madiba instead of Nelson for Mandela, tribal names, respect names e.g. Mzee, role names e.g. Babekazi which means aunt etc. For younger people first names can be used but respect names are still preferable. The reason for doing this is to give prominence to families, roles, histories. It is also an oral way to pass knowledge about genealogy, values and histories.
- Ubuntu names (or African names) are highly valued, even though colonial names were introduced by Europeans, Christians and Muslims. African names have meanings to families and communities and the nation as a whole. A name like Kofi means someone was born on a Friday; Tichatonga means we will liberate ourselves; Achen means a twin; Kato means second of twins; Lutalo means warrior; Karabo means answer.
Communityhood (Ujamaa)
- Under Ubuntu it is a taboo, and one of the highest offences in the community to beat your mother.
- Each person in the community looks after children – you keep them safe, teach them, reprimand, reward or punish them if there is need.
- Ubuntu gives peers the duty to mentor the age group behind them.
- Incest is an unforgivable crime.
- There is no permanent migration under Ubuntu.
- Be good with your visitors. Visitors – be good with your hosts.
- There are no children’s homes/institutions/residences under Ubuntu, because it is impossible to nurture children without parents and a community.
- In the community, there are friends who provide social and psychological support and counselling to others. These are usually older members of the community. This idea has motivated the globally recognised and evidence based Friendship Bench intervention in mentsl health.
Villagehood
- Under Ubuntu, child care responsibilities are shared by the whole village, hence, it takes a village to raise a child.
- The permanent home of an African is in a village, not urban town unless if your village was absorbed in a town or the land is still colonised.
Societyhood (Ujamii)
- Africa is not philosophyless.
- A person has no Ubuntu if they are corrupt, greedy, dishonesty, disrespectful, irresponsible, individual (e.g. not sharing), not caring, abandons their relatives, abandons their permanent home etc.
- African welfare starts with the family, then the community and the state. For example, if a child’s parents die, the first responsibility is with the family. If there is no family or they have abandoned their responsibility, then the community becomes responsible. If the community is not there or have abandoned their responsibility, then the state becomes responsible.
- Ceremonies – there are several Ubuntu ceremonies but most of them have been buried under colonisation and replaced with non-African ceremonies such as Easter ceremony, Christmas ceremony, Halloween ceremony, Valentine’s etc.
- Patriarchy was an invention of colonial philosophy, modernisation and religion, not Ubuntu.
- Sex is done by mature adults out of purpose (procreation) and affection (love). Underage sex, which is rife among Abrahamic religion (Christian faith and Islamic faith) in Africa, is not a result of Ubuntu but the foreign beliefs in these faiths.
- Exhibition of sex and sexual organs is condemned under Ubuntu, so is watching of pornography or sexual acts, including sex acts exhibited in films and movies.
Statehood
- Good, respectful and people-centred leadership is anticipated and promoted.
- A leader is a leader because of people he/she leads.
- In Ubuntu society, women are leaders, fighters and innovators just like men.
- African state structures existed before colonisation, were disrupted but some survived.
- African Kings invented the King’ Granary e.g. one at Khami Ruins in Zimbabwe, where food was kept for the poor or for emergencies. Today, this initiative is known as Zunde raMambo, and is part of the welfare system in some African countries.
Environmenthood (Imvelo)
- This encompasses land, water, sky, air, trees and animals.
- The highest form of injustice to Africans was to have African land taken by white people and the highest form of injustice to the ancestors is not to take that land back.
- Environmental identities – each African family has an animal or part of an animal or part of an environment that represents their identity. These identities are biological or genetic and they are crucial as DNA records.
Land
Land occupies an important position under Ubuntu. It connects all aspects of Ubuntu. It also provides permanency, for example, permanent home, community and heritage.
Spiritualhood (Uroho)
- Africa has its own beliefs and religion. Abrahamic religion that includes Christianity and Islam came as a part of colonisation.
- Ubuntu sources of spiritual wellbeing include being on land, connection with family, being on the environment, certain parts of the environment, e.g. trees, dreams, funerals, ceremonies, rituals, rites, historical/heritage sites, helping, ancestors, God etc
- Ancestors are to be respected.
- Graves are to be respected.
- Social problems can have a spiritual origin and spiritual solution.
- Spiritualists can be consulted to diagnose and treat social problems. When diagnosing, they can use (1) observation (2) conversation or dialogue (3) spiritual power (4) combination of these methods. When treating, they use conversation/dialogue, counselling, interpretation e.g. of dreams or occurrences, herbal healing, spiritual healing and other methods
- Dreams have meaning and significance.
- Birth on one’s land.
- Death and burial on one’s land.
Using Ubuntu in fundraising, charity and philanthropy work
Ubuntu in urban areas
- In urban areas, especially, and in African Diaspora communities, Ubuntu has been eroded to varying levels but exists.
- There is not enough written literature on Ubuntu, most exist as orature. This has resulted in some people criticizing it as vague.
- The application of Ubuntu in education, practice, fieldwork and research has not been adequately clarified and exemplified.
- Available literature on Ubuntu is not easily accessible to schools, universities, students, practitioners, lecturers and researchers.
- Not used that much by Africans in their professions (this is changing) but used in their daily lives. This is because of the colonial separation of education from real life experiences.
- It is misused when people focus on ‘a good human’ aspects of Ubuntu such as being respectful and forgiving neglecting the more critical, structural and transformational issues. This happened with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission led by Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela in South Africa. In the process, they did not allow for the return of land that was stolen from South Africans by white people.
Strengths of Ubuntu
- It exists in all Black African communities.
- It exists in abundance as orature.
- It has gained international appeal.
- It can decolonise and indigenous at the same time.
- It is rich, from it sub-philosophies, theories, ethics, methods etc are derived.
- It exists in African language and culture.
- Ubuntu is an overarching philosophy, this means it is broad enough to be used in all disciplines, aspects of life at all levels of society.
Dark-skinned or Black people call each other brother and sister today, wherever you find them on earth. Light-skinned or White people (Europeans, Americans, Middle-eastern and Asians) do not see each other as family, rather they compete, spy, hate and kill each other. What can account for these major differences – Ubuntu.
ASWDNet, 2023