“Welcome to the world of our humanity”: (African) humanism, ubuntu and black South African writing

Abstract

Summary As a concept in Western thought and culture, humanism is a generic term referring to a broad spectrum of beliefs and value systems. It emphasises human potential, in particular man's capacity for reason, and implies the idea of a “core” or shared humanity which is transcultural and transhistorical. However, it lays itself open to criticism that it is in fact culturally specific and that its Eurocentrism has helped legitimate colonialism and its suppression or denigration of other cultures. This paper considers the continuing resilience of a progressive humanism, and explores this in relation to African humanism or ubuntu: to what extent does “African humanism” resemble “humanism” in its Western form? Ubuntu is mentioned in the final clause of the interim South African Constitution; it was central to the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and is arguably one of the values on which the new South African democratic order is based. The article looks briefly at some of the attempts to apply this protean term to such diverse fields as religion, education, jurisprudence, and business management, and then examines the extent to which the values associated with ubuntu are embodied in the work of black South African writers ‐ in particular, Es'kia Mphahlele, who refers to himself as an African humanist. The article concludes with a brief consideration of Phaswane Mpe's recent novel, Welcome To Our Hillbrow (2001), which foregrounds the xenophobia and divisiveness that seems endemic to contemporary South African society. It concludes that, in the context of the attempt to construct a democratic South African culture built on a respect for human rights, some recourse to the idea of a shared humanity is almost unavoidable.