My son comes home and is writing an introductory speech. I am first surprised because he is not on that darn IPAD. I ask him, "what are you working on?". He then begins to tell me his afterschool has a show and he is doing the opening speech. He is not shy. So I am excited and ask to see the speech. We start chatting and he starts telling me about Ubuntu. He is shocked that I do not know what it means. I am more shocked he knows what it means. I then allowed him to explain and was thrilled that he taught me something new. I wanted to know more, my mind starts clicking and I said this aligns with mindfulness and what I am currently working on.
Ubuntu can best be described as an African philosophy that places emphasis on 'being self through others'. It is a form of humanism which can be expressed in the phrases 'I am because of who we all are' and ubuntu ngumuntu ngabantu in Zulu language.
Ubuntu is said to include the following values: communality, respect, dignity, value, acceptance, sharing, co-responsibility, humaneness, social justice, fairness, personhood, morality, group solidarity, compassion, joy, love, fulfilment, conciliation, et cetera.
What is the essence of Ubuntu? Ubuntu - the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can't exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can't be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality - Ubuntu - you are known for your generosity.
As a Christian Social Worker, Entrepeneur, Blogger and Mom this spoke to me. Ubuntu is about Community. Everything is interconnected. I am because of who we all are. I am me because you are you. This resonates so powerfully with me. Creating a t-shirt line to assist others. I can be creative and fulfill my purpose through others, my customers, which then extends to the individuals that receive help as a result. Ubuntu requires that leaders model the way for others..
Ubuntu (oo-boon-too) Pedagogy is a humanistic approach to engaging and empowering students 'active learning'. It is grounded in the belief that all students are humans who can excel in their academics if their humanity is placed front and center of their learning.
