Academic literature on the topic 'Ubuntu (Philosophy)'

Education in South Africa, and Africa at large, has always been construed from Eurocentric perspectives despite Africa being rich with indigenous philosophies and knowledge systems such as the Ubuntu philosophy. In this paper, we bring forth the viability of Ubuntu pedagogy, which draws from the indigenous Ubuntu philosophy, for the promotion of co-existence, social cohesion and inclusivity in education. Drawing from the Collective Fingers Theory, we examine the extent to which the principles of Ubuntu philosophy can cultivate and restore African indigenous values and cultures in diverse educational settings. We draw from literature to position Ubuntu pedagogy within educational practices. Themes emerging from the subject literature are: Collective Fingers theory, Ubuntu philosophy, principles of Ubuntu pedagogy. As a transformative approach, Ubuntu pedagogy, when embraced with the understanding and dignity it deserves, has a potential not only for reconnecting students with their indigenous values, heritage and cultures, but it also has a capacity to cultivate Ubuntu social values of solidarity, co-existence, respect and cooperation among students. We recommend Ubuntu pedagogy as a transformative and decolonial approach that promotes inclusion and social justice. The paper provides principles that guide the possible and effective implementation of Ubuntu pedagogy in diverse educational settings and implications for practice. The paper contributes to the ongoing debates on the decolonisation of education and the role of Ubuntu philosophy in the restoration of African values in the South African education system.

Ubuntu/Unhu societies were characterised by the thrust on freedom for responsibility where the elders were the bearers of authority which was conducive for the development of the freedom. The authority of the elders had a bearing on the freedom of the non-elderly people. Authority and freedom are connected by responsibility. Without responsibility as the nodal point between authority and freedom, authority lapses into power and freedom lapses into licence. This study sought to find out how elders in Ubuntu/Unhu societies socialised the youngsters to become responsible citizens. In exploring the thrust and procedures of civic education in Ubuntu/Unhu societies, a study of ten elderly informants of ages between sixty-five and ninety-five were purposively selected from a district in Zimbabwe. The research findings are that the advent of colonialism has begotten misconstruction of the nature of freedom in Ubuntu/Unhus societies. The thrust has of late been on negative freedom which is freedom ‘from’ social vices. Many of these social vices are attributable to cultural invasion by the Euroethnocentric tendencies of the colonialists and the effects of global citizenry. Ubuntu/Unh societies were essentially focusing on the philosophy of freedom for responsibility in their pedagogy and andragogy. The contemporary institutions could get some insights from Ubuntu socialization strategies on how to develop responsibility in children and youths in this era of modernity.

Ubuntu has been identified by several scholars as a philosophy that provides a framework to fight health disasters such as COVID-19. Ubuntu refers to the African worldview of seeing oneself through others. It refers to the pattern of interconnectedness between people in the form of a philosophy or worldview. Ubuntu explores concerns about cosmic and global context of life. This article stipulates that Ubuntu can provide ways to deal with challenges that emerge with the COVID-19 pandemic. Ubuntu fosters the integrated components of humanity as it appreciates the biological, psychosocial, spiritual, and environmental aspects of life. The article explores several themes such as self-awareness and societal responsibility, holism, spirituality, health promotion, food security, social justice and human rights, generosity, sharing, and teamwork. Others have advanced that Ubuntu is a philosophy to adopt in the fight against epidemics, and we seek to broaden the debate by exploring Ubuntu axiological and ontological humanistic–existential themes. Finally, the article calls for the adoption of Ubuntu philosophy in psychological and social work interventions in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Xenophobic attacks in South Africa have put to question the authenticity and veracity of Ubuntu philosophy. Remarkably, Ubuntu as a normative philosophy, promotes and conveys the openness and availability of the individuals for the benefits of others, especially in the paradigm of “I” and “others.” This philosophy unequivocally presents an African world view of care for others, the affirmation of the existence of others and the participation of others. Altruism, which is the western version of Ubuntu, encourages show of compassion, generosity, care and living with others. Yet, the resurgence of the xenophobic attack is a signpost of misguided individuals who have lost the traits of personhood and otherness, which are central in Ubuntu. Xenophobia breeds violence, hate, destruction of lives and property and threatens peace in Africa. Cognizant of this asymmetry between Ubuntu philosophy and xenophobia lineaments, this work attempts to restate a mutual need for African togetherness and maps a commitment to Ubuntu norms.

Purpose: The concept of Ubuntu philosophy, which emphasizes the interconnectedness of humanity and the importance of communal relationships, has gained attention in various fields, including community development. The Sustainable Development Report 2019 points out that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) might not be achieved, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. However, there is a gap in the literature on how Ubuntu philosophy has been applied in practice in community development initiatives. The extent to which Ubuntu philosophy has been applied in community development initiatives in different regions and contexts remains unclear. The main objectives of this study is to focus the Ubuntu philosophy on community development in Iyowa Community.
 Methodology: The research design for this study was qualitative in nature, using a phenomenological approach. The sample size for this study was 30 participants, including community leaders, development practitioners, and community members. Participants will be selected based on their knowledge and experience with Ubuntu philosophy and community development. The study used purposive sampling to select participants who had experience in community development and are familiar with the Ubuntu philosophy.
 Findings: The study found that there was good knowledge of the Ubuntu philosophy among community members. Based on the Ubuntu Philosophy, there was increased collaboration in the community has led to access to resources like water, roads, community security, and other amenities that have aided in community development. There was a mixed feeling on whether the Ubuntu Philosophy had ushered in development in Iyowa Community. While some acknowledge that it has greatly aided in bringing about community development, others believe it has only helped a little, and some feel it has made a small contribution but is not enough. 
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: In conclusion, the Ubuntu Philosophy has been successful in fostering a sense of unity and collective responsibility among community members, which has enabled them to achieve common goals and support each other during difficult times, and has had a positive impact on community development in Iyowa community and that the government creates an enabling environment for community development initiatives.

The In Dialogue piece in this issue, brings together Megan Seneque Aggie Kalungu-Banda, Martin Kalungu-Banda and Sharon Munyaka, to explore how different knowledge systems, including science, can be brought into conversation in an effort to democratize knowledge and support transformative societal change. The vehicle for this exploration is the philosophy and practice of Ubuntu, and how this is being brought to life across the African continent in the context of the Ubuntu.Lab and the Ubuntu Institute. The conversants delve into what it might mean, and what it looks like in practice, to have a distinct (African) identity that lies within the context of local cultural and spiritual traditions and indigenous knowledges, while also actively participating in and contributing to the global community and movement of the Presencing Institute. This exploration reveals both the complexities and the generative potential of weaving different wisdom traditions and knowledge systems, in the interests of creating a future for the continent from which the rest of the world might learn.

Ubuntu promotes the caring spirit of humanity. In the presence of Ubuntu, the growing rate of teachers' absenteeism in their duty posts is alarming across schools and subject lines. Social media platforms promote continuous presence and limiting physical presence. At the same time, Ubuntu promotes caring for one another irrespective of gender, age, race, status, background, and many more. Notwithstanding the benefits attached to African philosophy, Ubuntu, and social media, teachers' presence in schools keeps dropping physically and virtually. This study used secondary data in seeking to understand how African philosophy, Ubuntu, and social media can be applied in closing or eliminating the growing teacher absenteeism in schools in this social media age.