Spirit Of Ubuntu Research Articles

From Me-Search to We-Search: (Re)Imagining Mentorship and Intergenerational Relationships for Black Women in Leadership

This article examines the process of forming an intergenerational mentoring relationship among three Black women scholars at different levels of academic leadership in higher education. Over the course of a summer, we came together to critically examine how our collective journey as leaders shifted from “me-search” to “we-search.” In the spirit of Ubuntu or “I am because we are,” our we-search centers Black indigenous knowledge that honors a communal destiny and legacy where leadership and mentorship must be done in a collective. Thus, we used Black Feminist Action Research as a critical methodology that disrupts hegemony in inquiry, mentoring, and leadership. In a four-phased approach, we analyzed personal artifacts and narratives, grounded in radical Black feminist honesty. By conducting such qualitative “we-search,” we co-construct sites of healing and sanctuary and provide valuable insights and strategies for Black scholars and leaders.

Social Cohesion After Looting and Violence: Restoring the Spirit of Ubuntu in the Informal Settlements of Bhambayi, South Africa

Social Cohesion After Looting and Violence: Restoring the Spirit of Ubuntu in the Informal Settlements of Bhambayi, South Africa

The role of isiZulu communal notifications in sustaining the community-orientated lifestyle

The dissemination of communal notifications across the proximally distant homesteads in a rural area is not an easy practice. Against this backdrop, this study investigates the forms of communal notifications and their role in sustaining the community-orientated lifestyle in an isiZulu-speaking rural community in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The study adopted a qualitative research method which employed face-to-face interviews, in isiZulu, that involved 16 participants. The data revealed the prevalence of these forms of communal notifications: social occasion-related notifications, death-related notifications, izimbizo (open meetings)-related notifications, notifications instructing the community dwellers to clear footpaths, politics-related notifications, school meeting notifications, livestock or pet immunisation notifications, and land tilling-related notifications. The study maintained that the custodians who pronounce these notifications to the community employ strategies that aid their effective dissemination. Such strategies involve landscape usage, social occasion platform usage, whistle or horn blowing, loud shouting and the sending of messengers. Importantly, the study established that the communal notifications help inculcate the spirit of ubuntu or humanness among the community dwellers hence sustaining the community-orientated lifestyle, which finds expression in isiZulu.

Pastoral Therapy on Euthanasia: Christian Humanism and Ubuntu Embracing Openness

The debate over practices of physician-assisted suicide, euthanasia and other end-of-life questions is still ongoing in many countries around the world. At least, as of 2024, only 15 countries had varyingly legalised it under very specific, regulated conditions, while many more still view it as an extremely complex issue that, amongst other things, conflicts with their deeply held religious beliefs. Premised on their belief in the image of God as the source of human life, most monotheistic religions, but Christians in particular believe in the preservation of human life to its natural end. However, the unquestionable reality of this traditionally-held Christian belief does not preclude the rare reality where terminally ill Christians themselves, upon suffering excruciating pain, begin either to desire some form of a hastened death overtly or covertly. Under such conditions, however, pastoral therapists in particular lack the aptitude to openly initiate practical dialogues with patients, be it in the spirit of Ubuntu or to concretise the Christian position. That being said, the purpose of this article is to prepare Christian pastoral therapists in particular and the counselling profession in general to openly handle cases where agonising human suffering leads to suicidal thoughts or actions. In order to achieve this, the paper, through the use of literature reviews and desktop studies, draws on literature encompassing specific biblical instances in which not only physical suffering, but also mental suffering somehow led to suicidal events. The African concept of Ubuntu is then integrated into Christian humanism to promote pastoral therapeutic dialogue which may enrich Christian self-knowledge about the sacredness of human life, despite the urge of suicide or euthanasia. As per Christian humanism framework, Christian self-knowledge is inspired by the excruciating suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross. All things considered, pastoral therapy is endowed with the ability to present the image of God in human suffering while rejecting the urge for euthanasia or suicide.

Ubuntu or Compliance? Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Owners of Small- Medium-Sized Enterprises in Johannesburg, South Africa Regarding Corporate Social Responsibility

ABSTRACT There is a paucity of studies demonstrating how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) adopt CSR interventions to enhance social and economic conditions of communities within which they operate. There is also a prevailing stereotype that Corporate Social Responsibility is only applicable to big, multinational companies. The study therefore explored the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of 10 owners of SMEs in Johannesburg, South Africa regarding CSR. Guided by a social development lens, the study adopted a qualitative case study research design. Thematic analysis of interview responses revealed that most of these owners considered their SMEs to be practising CSR, and were motivated primarily by the intrinsic spirit of Ubuntu rather than extrinsic compliance with regulatory requirements. While some CSR interventions (such as skills-transfers as empowerment) were found to be consistent with the social development approach, others, such as philanthropy, were not necessarily developmental but nevertheless important in a developing country such as South Africa with its high levels of poverty. The key contributions of the study to knowledge are first, that it debunks the misconception in the literature that SMEs are too small and financially incapable of implementing CSR interventions; and second, that it enhances understanding from a developing world perspective of the factors motivating SME owners to engage in CSR.

Facilitation of caring through the development of mindfulness − A concept analysis

Caring is central to nursing. Many relevant studies have been conducted on caring however, clarity is needed on the concept ‘facilitation of caring through the development of mindfulness’. Thus, the need to conduct the concept analysis on ‘facilitation of caring through the development of mindfulness’. To provide an in-depth analysis of the concept ‘facilitation of caring through the development of mindfulness’. Walker and Avant’s framework was used. Literature was searched electronically using databases such as Africa-wide Information, Business Source Ultimate, CINAHL, Medline, Psych INFO, ScienceDirect, EBSCO (Health Source: Nursing and Academic Edition), Sage, Ujoogle and Google Scholar. Articles from 2013 to 2020 were searched to target recent and up-to-date information about the definitions, defining attributes, antecedents, and consequences of the concept ‘facilitation of caring through the development of mindfulness’. Forty-eight English sources, including research articles and other sources, were retained from a pool of 15000. The results of the concept analysis identified seven essential attributes. ‘Facilitation of caring through the development of mindfulness’ is a process implemented by the nurse educator to assist and empower student nurses to love and show a spirit of ubuntu. This is done through a process of becoming that enhances empathy for self and others and focusing on the present moment when caring for patients. The results of the concept analysis present an understanding of the concept ‘facilitation of caring through the development of mindfulness’. The framework of mindfulness principles derived from the concept analysis could guide nurse educators in facilitating caring among student nurses.

Implementation of a Multilingual Booklet to Accommodate First-Year Students with Academic Work

Academic writing is a major challenge within Higher Education. Poor writing skills and low academic literacy increase the chances of dropout among students from disadvantaged backgrounds and communities. A multilingual booklet was developed as a tool for improvement among first-year students. The multilingual booklet aims to allow students to engage their study material in their mother tongue. As an academic literacy lecturer, the researcher will be sharing what has inspired her to suggest such a project. This paper follows an educational approach through personal reflections. Availing and promoting multilingual reading material to students may reduce failure rates. Students may be equipped to understand their academic work when it is presented in their home language. Another advantage of the translated open resource material is that multilingual education provides monolingual students with the opportunity to learn a second language and become bilingual. The booklet can be accessed by other institutions as they are loaded on the university website. The booklet aims to contribute towards the decolonization of tertiary curricula– a notion to which first-generation students have no reference. The booklet is in line with the vision of enabling a smart university, rooted in the spirit of Ubuntu. Recommendation: South African universities should adopt multilingual tools in their curricula to accommodate the students who are not English, or first language speakers to do better in their academic work

Global Surgery, Universal Health Coverage & the Spirit of Ubuntu

This editorial on global surgery provides an overview of this rapidly developing field, its origins, and its links to the discourse on universal health coverage.

Stimulating the Law through Ubuntu and Nagomi in Three Japanese Short Stories

Abstract Critical engagement with and intersections of Japanese and African literatures are burgeoning. In pre-colonial African society, a lawful action was that action that took into consideration the common good expressed in the spirit of Ubuntu. Interestingly, Japanese literature and African literature share this universal character in common. Ubuntu intersects with the Japanese philosophy of Nagomi which emphasises harmony and balance thereby creating a nexus of transcultural hybridity. This paper examines Ubuntu and Nagomi as transcultural motifs in stories by Akutagawa Ryunosuke, Nagai Kafu, and Uno Koji in Akutagawa and Others: Three Japanese Short Stories to highlight ideological and law-oriented similarities. Carl Jung’s Persona-Archetype is privileged in this study because it accounts for the recurring images of Ubuntu and Nagomi in the public life of the characters. These cultural images help them to mitigate defiant conducts which violate the fundamental human rights and life purpose of other characters. In Nagai Kafu’s “Behind the Prison”, the motif of physical and psychological imprisonment is eye-catching as the narrator writes His Excellency expressing his frustration at the awful state of things in his Japanese society. Uno Koji’s “Closet LLB” interrogates the imperatives of choice and identity while Akutagawa Ryunosuke’s “General Kim” is a story based on the history of Japan and its neighbour, Korea. In the stories, the protagonists and other characters act heroically in ways that evince the tenets of Ubuntu and Nagomi. Their heroic actions allay the fears of their vulnerable compatriots and protect their fundamental human rights.

A place for traditional and customary practices in funerals during and post COVID-19: Insights from South Africa.

President Cyril Ramaphosa and his government declared a National State of Disaster, and banned large gatherings to help contain the spread of coronavirus on March 21, 2020. Less than a week after he banned large gatherings to help contain the spread of coronavirus. Families were also encouraged to bury their deceased loved ones as soon as possible after they leave the mortuary. This left families with little to no time to grieve and execute certain expected customary rituals, some of which are performed on the deceased. Families were prohibited from handling the remains of their loved ones and assigned people by the government assumed that role. The bodies of deceased COVID-19 patients were carefully transported and covered in body bags, but in terms of custom, they should be wrapped in a cow skin or blanket according to customary rules. According to African customary law, close family members should be present in the same room as the deceased and perform rituals to ward off evil deeds performed by those who encounter the body. The worldviews of South African people towards conducting burials was thus disrupted by the COVID-19 regulations. Embalming was also discouraged to minimize interaction with the remains. This paper relied on secondary data from the relevant literature, such as official documentation, scholarly articles and news articles. The paper asserts that the COVID-19 regulations have altered the way people in South Africa perform their traditional funerals. It also describes the difficulties people faced while burying their loved ones according to the strict COVID-19 guidelines which compromised most of the traditional and customary practices. The paper further looks at the funeral processes post COVID-19 and emphasises that people have been led by the spirit of Ubuntu to continue with their traditional ways of conducting funerals that are centred in African spirituality.

Reflecting on a community of practice for engineering education research capacity in Africa: who are we and where are we going?

ABSTRACT The Engineering Education Research Network in Africa (EERN-Africa) was created to enable connections between practitioners and researchers with a shared interest in African engineering education contexts. Recognising the importance of developing an African voice in the engineering education research space, the EERN-Africa community has interacted in a dynamic and dialogic way with our own teaching and research practices across diverse African contexts, with an ethical commitment to democratic and inclusive community-building. The objective of this paper is to reflect on the current status of the Community of Practice (CoP), and the challenges and opportunities in sustaining and growing the CoP. A collaborative analysis of perspectives on this emerging identity is presented, using an Appreciative Inquiry (AI) methodology and drawing on collective written reflections and discussions. Six broad themes on the value that the CoP has for both individuals and the group were identified: networking, capacity development, emotional support, impact on professional identity, social and environmental impact, and breaking borders. This paper contributes an approach for collaborative capacity-building in EER through a virtual CoP, underpinned by the spirit of ubuntu.

Bloom’s Taxonomy and Classroom Talk: Exploring the Relationship Between the Nature of Small Group Discussion Tasks and the Quality of Learners’ Talk

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the nature of small group discussion tasks and learners’ talk during Physical Science lessons. The study was conducted during Physical Science lessons with three self-selected groups of Grade 11 learners from one school. A total of three lessons were followed. During the lessons, learners were given group tasks to complete, and their discussion was audio-recorded. The small group discussion tasks were coded using the revised Bloom’s taxonomy. The audio-recordings were transcribed and coded using Mercer’s three types of talk. The nature of tasks in the small group discussions was paired with the type of talk used as the group members were responding to the tasks and the frequency of these pairs was analysed. Analysis of the tasks vs. types of talk used indicated that learners predominately used cumulative talk to find solutions to understanding tasks. Exploratory talk was predominately used to find solutions to application tasks. The findings show that this relationship between the nature of small group discussion tasks and learners’ type of talk is statistically significant at p = 0.05 level. No disputational talk occurrences were observed. It is noted that the type of talk used to address each type of task is related to the cognitive skills demanded by the task, group composition and the embracing of the spirit of ubuntu by the group members.

So you say our work is essential: Essential workers and the potential for transformative learning in the wake of COVID‐19 social and economic disruption

At the start of the COVID‐19 pandemic, some US workers became “essential” overnight and were, therefore, ineligible to work from home. Millions of these workers put their lives at risk to keep society functioning. So, why do we undervalue those we cannot live without? This article explores the transformative potential of learning in and about essential work in the wake of social and economic disruptions of a pandemic. We ask, what potential does this current moment hold to repair the western social and economic order predicated on the precarity of essential work? We review human flourishing within a human capabilities approach and borrow feminist's notion of repair work that evokes transformative learning in individuals and society. Finally, we consider how the perspective of “learning to repair” along the spirit of uBuntu and generative Communitas can enhance transformative learning theory and practice.

It takes a village to raise a child: everyday experiences of living with extended family in Namibia

The family is the fundamental group of society and the natural environment for the growth and well-being of children. The Namibian Constitution protects the family, without specifying what �family� means�which allows for legal concepts of family to evolve to fit social realities. The caring for children, most commonly by extended family or kinship carers is widespread and a practice acceptable in most Namibian cultures in the spirit of Ubuntu. This article foregrounds the importance of carer-child relationships in the care provided by extended family for children who do not live with their birth parents. It further investigates children�s everyday understandings of what family means to offer a multiplicity of experiences of child fosterage practice. These are presented from a range of carers and children within the fosterage context and considered within children�s unique and positive relationships within their families.

An Afrasian Entanglement

Abstract The establishment of the Phoenix Settlement and the Gandhi Development Trust (GDT) in South Africa was an experiment in self-sufficient communal living and the promotion of the values and principles of Mahatma Gandhi and South Africa’s democratic Constitution, respectively. While both entities are the result of Gandhi’s South African connection, they serve to embody, through the Mahatma, an Afrasian Entanglement. Gandhi’s time in South Africa made a remarkable impact on him and the country, transforming his political and social positions and influencing its struggle for freedom. In post-apartheid South Africa, the shared mission of both organisations is to advance a culture of nonviolence, peace and social responsibility through a range of transformative programmes. This article details Gandhi’s South African journey, his evolving ideas of passive resistance and social reconstruction there, and the resultant legacy programmes that resonate with the spirit of Ubuntu and the South African Constitution to reinforce democracy.

Identifying knowledge needed to improve surgical care in Southern Africa using a theory of change approach

Surgical healthcare has been prioritised in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), a regional intergovernmental entity promoting equitable and sustainable economic growth and socioeconomic development. However, challenges remain in translating...

Decolonising theological education in urban spaces: A reflection on the “Abantu Book Festival”

The article argues that “Abantu Book Festival” (Abantu) held in Soweto annually signifies a decolonising space for theological education in the urban areas surrounding Soweto. From the perspective of Black theology of liberation (BTL) paradigms, the clear focus on blackness as a methodological framework for the Abantu programme signifies Abantu as a festival reflecting critically on the black experience post-1994. Moreover, Soweto, with its resistance history, relates Abantu to black culture, and urban realities post-1994. In its programme, African Spirituality becomes the source of knowledge for Abantu’s decolonial project, thus, enabling the spirit of Ubuntu as a lived, and a living philosophy at Abantu. This article, therefore argues that Abantu exhibits BTL with a praxis-based spirituality for theological education in urban areas. Abantu’s use of blackness, and Soweto as interlocutors automatically connects Abantu to the Black Consciousness Movements (BCM), Pan Africanist narratives of return, thus enables Black Theology Liberation.

Social media age: Where is the spirit of Ubuntu in the educational system?

Ubuntu promotes the caring spirit of humanity. In the presence of Ubuntu, the growing rate of teachers' absenteeism in their duty posts is alarming across schools and subject lines. Social media platforms promote continuous presence and limiting physical presence. At the same time, Ubuntu promotes caring for one another irrespective of gender, age, race, status, background, and many more. Notwithstanding the benefits attached to African philosophy, Ubuntu, and social media, teachers' presence in schools keeps dropping physically and virtually. This study used secondary data in seeking to understand how African philosophy, Ubuntu, and social media can be applied in closing or eliminating the growing teacher absenteeism in schools in this social media age.

Worship in a post-lockdown context: A ritual-liturgical perspective

In this unprecedented time, there are many questions and plenty of speculation surrounding what life will be like after the South African nationwide lockdown. There is concern over the effects that the lockdown will have on worship services when churches are in a position to open their doors to the public once more. As a result of recognising the lockdown as a liminal phase, perspectives are shared when considering how the church will gather again in a post-lockdown context and therefore a post-liminal phase. One prevailing perspective in considering this post-liminal phase involves koinonia and how an undiscriminating virus can remind those to further practise inclusivity and ubuntu, by embracing sameness and difference when ‘being church’. In contrast, another important perspective focuses on ritualising certain measures in the worship service to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), when gathering in church buildings is permissible in a post-lockdown context. This is concluded by echoing the spirit of ubuntu, namely, ‘I am because we are’, in ‘being church’ during and after the crisis of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Contribution: From the perspective of Liturgical and Ritual Studies, this article aims to contribute to the Theological perspectives of COVID-19.

In the Spirit of Ubuntu: Educating and Leading Through an African-Centered Paradigm

Developing college access in high schools for students from marginalized backgrounds (i.e., low socioeconomic status, people of color, and first-generation) is important because these students enroll in postsecondary education at lower rates than White, wealthier, and non-first-generation students. A qualitative case study was conducted to examine how an African-centered charter high school’s personnel, who were teachers and administrators of color, cultivated students’ college-going aspirations while affirming their cultural identities. This study used a social constructivist paradigm to understand how Ubuntu school personnel were active agents in both the school’s college-going culture and African-centered culture. The selected site was an urban public African-centered coeducational charter high school with a postsecondary education focus located in the Northeastern United States. The school has excelled academically both in terms of graduation rates and postsecondary enrollment. The findings suggest that personnel worked collaboratively with each other to develop and foster environments that supported a college-preparatory ethos while simultaneously affirming African Americans and Blacks. They believed that students being successful led to the school being successful, which led to the community being successful, which most importantly led to the Black race being successful. Success began at the individual level but had the potential impact of improving the community and nation as a whole. Personnel believed it was their responsibility to provide students with the necessary social and cultural capital to develop college-going aspirations.