Ubuntu Morality as a Basis for the Promotion of Tonga Religious Beliefs in the High God-Leza and the Spirits-Mizimo

Abstract

The paper draws on the University of South Africa (UNISA)’s three-year study entitled ‘Archaeology of Ubuntu’, which was funded by the ‘National Research Foundation’ (NRF) of South Africa. The data utilised in this paper is drawn from oral-historical discussions conducted with purposefully sampled elders from Tonga communities in Zambia’s Southern Province. The data specifically originates from the views of the elders on ‘their understanding of Ubuntu’. Despite the various conceptions of Ubuntu in scholarly circles globally, few scholars have associated Ubuntu to religion despite it being a fundamental aspect of the lives of Africans. Therefore, the main premise of this paper is to link Ubuntu to religion through the concept of morality. This is done through granting special attention to the well-developed moral cults on the ancient belief in the high God-Leza and the Spirits-Mizimo in Tonga communities of Zambia’s Southern Province. The paper specifically engages with the Tonga ancient belief in the high God-Leza and the Spirits-Mizimo and points out how the ‘moral principle’ with its moral demands or dictates leads to the promotion of the Tonga ancient belief in the high God-Leza and the Spirits-Mizimo respectively.