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Philosophy Of Ubuntu

Decent Essays

Introduction
With its origin in the Nguni language of the Xhosa, Zulu and Ndebele people, the word Ubuntu can be loosely translated to mean “Humanity”, but the true power and meaning of the philosophy can be found in the summary of the phrase “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu”, which can be translated to mean “A person is a person through other persons.” or “I am because we are.”
The basic principal of Ubuntu is that a the success of a person is measured by the success of his community and the people around him, meaning that if your community is healthy and prospering than the individual is also healthy and prospering.
Although the concept is a wonderful ideal and could have been more easily achieved in the past, the current social-economic environment poses many challenges to the cultures who find their identities in Ubuntu.

Ubuntu
The origin of the …show more content…

The interconnectedness of all things is at the heart of the philosophy, the concept that all living things are connected and that the wellbeing and stability of the collective depends on the how the individual functions within the community, and how the community functions around the individual (Washington, 2010). A powerful idea in theory and an amazing ideal, if it could be put into practice in its entirety, it could have the ability to change the current socio-political landscape of the entire continent, if not globally.

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Aside from the being a value system practised within African culture it can also be described as the essence of being human. A person who is generous, caring, hospitable, respectful and compassionate is said to have Ubuntu (Murithi, 2006). Ubuntu in a person is measured by their relationship with and their actions towards others in society.

Xhosa Culture and

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