2825 Exploring Africa’s philosophy – The value of Ubuntu in social services

Description

Rugare Mugumbate, Department of Social Work, Bindura University of Science Education, Zimbabwe; School of Health & Society, Faculty of the Arts, University of Wollongong; Department of Social Work & Community Development, Faculty of Humanities, University of Johannesburg, South Africa; Contacts: rugare@africasocialwork.net

Abstract

This paper examines Ubuntu, how it has been applied in different fields and lessons that can be drawn for social servuces professions. Ubuntu is the African philosophy. It places emphasis on ‘being self through others’. It is a form of humanism which can be expressed in the phrases ‘I am because we are’, umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu in Zulu and Ndebele languages which means a person is a person through others and ndiri nekuti tiri in Shona language which means I am because we are. It has many similar expressions in all communities of Africa, for example in Kikuyu language it is ndi nii tondu wanyu; motho ke motho ka batho in Tswana. In modern academia, Ubuntu is being applied in all fields and disciplines. In social services, Ubuntu is enhancing practice and research, teaching and learning, ethics and the conduct in research and evaluation.

Keywords: African philosophy, humanism, ndiri nekuti tiri, umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, social work; Ubuntu

Article type: Conceptual

Review type: Double-blind

*An earlier version of this article was first published in 2013 in the African Journal of Social Work with Nyanguru, A. C. (deceased in 2013) as a co-author. This earlier and first version was downloaded more than 60000 times, making it a seminal piece on Ubuntu. On top of being more assertive about African philosophy, this current version has maintained simplicity, a key reason why the first version was read, downloaded and shared that many times.