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newstyle
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Posted: Sunday April 9th, 2006 05:58 |
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Ubuntu - A philosophy for African life?
" Munhu, munhu nevanhu"
"Muntu, umuntu ngabantu"
“Umuntu Umuntu Ngabantu�
“Motho ke motho ka Batho�
Those phrases roughly translate as:
"Humanity towards others," or "I am because we are," or "A person 'becomes human' through other persons", or also, "A person is a person because of other persons". Another translation could be: "The belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity." I Exist Because You Exist’
Ubuntu (a word from the Nguni language family, which comprises Zulu, Xhosa, Swati, and Ndebele and the equivalent Shona word hunhu) describes an African form of society, It affirms dignity in human relations in a holistic way, including both the individual and community as core and complementary components in life. It is however is defined differently by different peoples on the continent.
The Mande concept of Fadenya-Badenya which is about striking a balance between unique individuality and a collectivity,is one the appeals to me. Each person has two forces within him, Fadenya and Badenya, which explain the tension between individuality and community.
Fadenya corresponds to: restless, heroic, rebellious and revolutionary, individualistic and innovative, eternally seeking freedom, autonomy, change and novelty. Whilst Badenya corresponds to social solidarity, benevolence and altruism.
“Fadenya and Badenya stand as two sides of the same coin that is the Bumuntu. What the Fadenya-Badenya paradigm indicate is that there is already in each human being an individual dimension and a collective force constantly in tension. A healthy human being is the one who keeps balance between the two forces.�
I dare say a great number of us have come across the word Ubuntu recently as it is in the constitution of the “rainbow nation� of south Africa and formed part of the sham Truth and reconciliation commission hearings as well as being appropriated into glossy world of (my favourite oxymoron) “corporate social responsibility� Clinics and charities have all subscribed to this rather woolly term, that seems to scream to them “why can’t we all just get along�. If you’re a matrix watching, long black coat wearing slooow motion kung fu kind of person you might also be aware of the “open source� software that has taken the Ubuntu name. In all these cases it has served as window dressing and not gotten to the core of it. To me closer examples to the true meaning of Ubuntu comes from the likes of Julius Nyerere’s “Ujamaa� (I know not a great success) and Kenneth Kaunda’s “Humanism� More important then the coining of terms, I believe are the actions of the two men. During the struggle for independence both men and others in the region stood by their neighbours at great costs to their own nations development and stability. To me this suggests an understanding that their Countries could not truly be independent without their neighbours, one nation echoing to another nation: “a person is a person because of other persons�. I see ubuntu in the pan-African movement, the knowledge of the importance of African liberation to the Diaspora: "I am because we are� I see it in the civil rights movements and on this forum. If we return to keeping balance between Fadenya and Badenya, and substitute Fadenya and Badenya with communism and capitalism, we can see extremes of either do not provide a balance that is necessary for a sane life. If Ubuntu could be reclaimed, could it provide a “better� way of life then foreign ideologies of capitalism, socialism, fascism or Marxist-Leninist or Maoist Communism, if so how would this work?
Last edited on Sunday April 9th, 2006 05:59 by newstyle
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Shemsi en Tehuti
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Posted: Sunday April 9th, 2006 18:54 |
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| I like the phrase "I am because we are"...
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Russengo
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Posted: Thursday April 12th, 2007 13:17 |
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| In kirundi we say: "Ibintu bigira abantu" People make things happen
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