Philosophy and the Multi-Cultural Context of (Post)Apartheid South Africa

Abstract

Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu is the Zulu version of a traditional African aphorism (Shutte, 1993:46). Although with considerable loss of culture-specific meaning, it can be translated as: “A human being is a human being through (the otherness of) other human beings.” Still, its meaning can be interpreted in various ways of which I would like to highlight only two, in accordance with the grammar of the central concept ‘Ubuntu’ which denotes both a state of being and one of becoming. Firstly, it can be interpreted as a statement of fact about the human condition, i.e. as a descriptive claim about the social nature of human being and personal identity; even the constitutive relation between alterity and identity. Secondly, it can also be interpreted as a value-judgement, i.e. as a normative appreciation of social difference and human diversity; even as an imperative to expose ourselves to others, to encounter the difference of their humanness, in order to fully become our own. The meaning would then be — to paraphrase a translation of Ramose (1995: 237, 238): To be human is to affirm one’s humanity by recognising the humanity of others in its infinite variety of content and form. This interpretation is probably closer to the traditional wisdom expressed in the aphorism in question. The intended meaning, however, its presuppositions and implications taken as a philosopheme, remains elusive — at least if we try to grasp it in the standardised conceptual categories of our Western ways of thinking. Nevertheless, my intuition is that this aphorism may provide us with a factual description and a rule of conduct which corresponds to the conceptual difficulties one encounters when one attempts a philosophical interpretation of the multi-cultural reality of (post)apartheid South Africa. To attempt such an interpretation is nonetheless of urgent importance for the self-understanding and social well-being of our society. This is not the place to recall the major events and crises of recent South African political history. Suffice to say that only two years ago it was not unreasonable for many of us to expect the worst possible scenario, a massive civil and ethnic war, the Southern African counterpoint to Bosnia and Rwanda. In retrospect, it is clear that we escaped this fate — at least for a moment in history — not only because of the compromising negotiations of politicians, but also — or even more so — because of the unexpected emergence of an ethos of solidarity amongst ordinary South Africans of all colours, creeds and cultures, a commitment to peaceful co-existence in the absence of uniformity. On the other hand, it cannot be denied that this ethos of solidarity is frail and extremely difficult to uphold once the full implications of our diversity, the recognition of different languages, histories, values and customs are to be realised in various spheres of life. Within a multi-cultural democracy the various ethnic and socio-cultural differences are not blurred, but intensified both because of legitimate claims to institutionalisation on the one hand, and their easy political exploitation on the other hand. Given the fact that South Africa has always been a multi-cultural society one would have expected a rich and strong tradition of philosophical reflection on diversity and the related issues which were forced onto the agenda of philosophy