Recent evidence: Ubuntu

Published in Mugumbate R., Nwanna C. R., Twikirize J. and Tusasiirwe S. (2024). Empirical evidence on the names and values of Africa’s philosophy of Ubuntu. Journal of Ubuntu/Nyingi waUbuntu, 1(1), 1-19.

Study participants

If you participated in this study and would like a copy of the published article, please email maaza@africasocialwork.net

The issue

The philosophy of Ubuntu has gained significant value, recognition, and influence worldwide. There is now a growing body of literature on the application of Ubuntu in education, research, and practice, but more is needed to fully counter centuries of devaluation and misinformation.

The gap

There are no empirical studies that have explored the names of African philosophy in different communities and the values considered most important in this philosophy. This is the gap that has motivated this current research.

The methods

The research was a survey, with quantitative questions administered through the Qualtrics software between 11 April and 11 August 2023. The target for the survey were 840 academics and practitioners who were on the list servs of the Africa Social Work and Development Network (ASWDNet) (n=780) and the Association of Schools of Social Work in Africa (ASSWA) (n=60). These academics were asked to complete the survey and forward it to their students, therefore, the target of students was open. In total, 198 people participated in the survey, and 86 completed all questions (22 students, 33 academics and 31 practitioners). Ethics advice was sought from the Africa Independent Ethics Committee (AIEC).

The results

The results show that 38 names are used to refer to Africa’s philosophy by the people who participated in this survey. Twenty-two (22) of the names were derived from the root word tu, which refers to humans. Ubuntu is the most used noun (67%). The value most identified with Ubuntu was ujamaa (communityness) followed by udugu (unity). Justice and uhuru (freedom), gargaar (community solidarity, unity and cohesion), integrity and ukama (relations) were the third most mentioned values.

The implications

This research confirms the widespread recognition and importance of Ubuntu and its core values and a unified understanding of African philosophy across different communities and points to the need for continued exploration to fully address historical gaps in the literature.