Philosophy Of Ubuntu Research Articles

Ubuntu philosophy and the consensus regarding incidental findings in genomic research: a heuristic approach.

This study adopts a heuristic technique to argue the thesis that a set of norms rooted in the African philosophy of Ubuntu can usefully supplement current research guidelines for dealing with incidental findings discovered in genomic research. The consensus regarding incidental findings is that there is an ethical obligation to return individual genetic incidental findings that meet the threshold of analytic and clinical validity, have clinical utility, and are actionable, provided that research contributors have not opted out from receiving such information. This study outlines the hurdles that may hinder the integration of this consensus in mainstream clinical practice, and shows how an ethical theory from the global south may be used to address the same. This will advance the field of ethical, legal and social issues of personalized medicine by providing exposure to the under-represented African perspective on the ethical, legal, and social issues of genomics.

Ubuntu’s philosophy and the challenge of Xenophobia: towards peace in Africa

Xenophobic attacks in South Africa have put to question the authenticity and veracity of Ubuntu philosophy. Remarkably, Ubuntu as a normative philosophy, promotes and conveys the openness and availability of the individuals for the benefits of others, especially in the paradigm of “I” and “others.” This philosophy unequivocally presents an African world view of care for others, the affirmation of the existence of others and the participation of others. Altruism, which is the western version of Ubuntu, encourages show of compassion, generosity, care and living with others. Yet, the resurgence of the xenophobic attack is a signpost of misguided individuals who have lost the traits of personhood and otherness, which are central in Ubuntu. Xenophobia breeds violence, hate, destruction of lives and property and threatens peace in Africa. Cognizant of this asymmetry between Ubuntu philosophy and xenophobia lineaments, this work attempts to restate a mutual need for African togetherness and maps a commitment to Ubuntu norms.

Intercultural Communicative Component (ICC) in the English Second Language (EL2) Curricula: Trends and Challenges of Transformation in South Africa (SA) and the Global World

Globally, universities are tremendously pressurised to improve throughput rates, intercultural proficiency, and academic transformation. However, at some universities, educators often neglect the ICC component in EL2 teaching. This article analyses the feasibility of integrating the ICC component into the EL2 courses, to enhance curricula decolonisation, intellectual and cultural freedom in South African universities. From a socio-cognitive perspective, the article argues that in SA, understanding ecological, ideological, affective and sociolinguistic elements, based on the Ubuntu philosophy (a humanness spirit that embodies (South) African culture) is significant for global IC and learning. Innovative integration of plurilingualism perspectives into the Humanities curricula may have implications for academic success, especially in English and ICC, global trade, democracy and social transformation.

Ubuntu diplomacy: Broadening soft power in an African context

Ubuntu is an African philosophical worldview that has increasingly gained prominence since South Africa's democratic transition in 1994. It places emphasis on the world's common humanity and its consequent interdependence. Through content analysis, the article examines the soft power that is inherent in South Africa's foreign policy, as codified in the 2011 White Paper on South African Foreign Policy–Building a Better World: Diplomacy of Ubuntu. In its findings, the article established a distinction between Joseph Nye's original conceptualization of soft power, formulated from a United States realist foreign policy perspective, and the one inherent in South Africa's humanist foreign policy guided by the philosophy of Ubuntu. This distinction is premised on the geopolitical disparities between the two nations. The article further examines South Africa's wielding of soft power within the African continent, the first audience of the country's diplomacy of Ubuntu.

Towards an Ubuntu Philosophy of Higher Education in Africa

African philosophy of higher education and its concomitant link to teaching and learning on the continent, is a concept that remains contestable, as much about African thought and practice is presumed to exist in narrative form. However, even if African thought and practice were to have existed in narrative form only, it would not necessarily be justifiable to dismiss an idea of African philosophy of higher education as seminal works by leading African scholars over the last few decades corroborate the significance of higher education in Africa. In this article, I attempt to offer an account of African philosophy of higher education, in particular teaching and learning, underscored by a notion of ubuntu—human interdependence and humaneness—on the grounds that such a view of African thought and practice is constituted by meanings that could engender a credible defense of higher education in Africa. From my analysis of the concept ubuntu, practices such as social responsibility, deliberative engagement, and an attentiveness to others and otherness seem to be most salient in enacting a reconsidered view of African higher education.

Conceptual framework for establishing the African Stroke Organization.

Africa is the world's most genetically diverse, second largest, and second most populous continent, with over one billion people distributed across 54 countries. With a 23% lifetime risk of stroke, Africa has some of the highest rates of stroke worldwide and many occur in the prime of life with huge economic losses and grave implications for the individual, family, and the society in terms of mental capital, productivity, and socioeconomic progress. Tackling the escalating burden of stroke in Africa requires prioritized, multipronged, and inter-sectoral strategies tailored to the unique African epidemiological, cultural, socioeconomic, and lifestyle landscape. The African Stroke Organization (ASO) is a new pan-African coalition that brings together stroke researchers, clinicians, and other health-care professionals with participation of national and regional stroke societies and stroke support organizations. With a vision to reduce the rapidly increasing burden of stroke in Africa, the ASO has a four-pronged focus on (1) research, (2) capacity building, (3) development of stroke services, and (4) collaboration with all stakeholders. This will be delivered through advocacy, awareness, and empowerment initiatives to bring about people-focused changes in policy, clinical practice, and public education. In the spirit of the African philosophy of Ubuntu "I am because we are," the ASO will harness the power of diversity, inclusiveness, togetherness, and team work to build a strong, enduring, and impactful platform for tackling stroke in Africa.

Introducing Ulimisana Optimization Algorithm Based on Ubuntu Philosophy

In this paper we give introduction to the concepts of Ubuntu and how we used Mechanism design concepts to construct Ubuntu as an optimisation algorithm. Ubuntu philosophy is old and consists of many oral proverbs that have been documented in recent years. This work thus introduces an incentive mechanism based on Ubuntu, thus called Ubuntu Incentive, which is modelled according to Mechanism Design principles. This incentive scheme is introduced as a fitness function which the algorithm tries to improve. To achieve this, the algorithm draws inspiration from Bantu proverbs that guide how individuals ought to behave within the Ubuntu community. Trust is an important element within these communities and it is shown how trust influences the obtaining of the Pareto efficiency. The algorithm is introduced with different mathematical configurations which are tested against each other. Ulimisana optimisation algorithm (UOA) manages to solve the benchmark test functions used in this work. This is found to be in accordance to the Ubuntu philosophy as used in the Ulimisana/Letsema practice amongst the Bantu people of Southern Africa. The UOA performed better in some benchmark test function when compared to other algorithms and coming second on most performance to PSO for most test benchmark function.

Rola filozofii ubuntu w rozliczeniach z przeszłością w Republice Południowej Afryki i wybranych obszarach południowoafrykańskiego prawa

Zaprzysiężenie 10 maja 1994 r. Nelsona Mandeli na pierwszego demokratycznie wybranego prezydenta Republiki Południowej Afryki stało się symbolem końca apartheidu i otwarcia nowego etapu w historii tego państwa. Wobec istniejących w społeczeństwie głębokich podziałów przejściowa Konstytucja RPA z 1993 r. wyrażała potrzebę pojednania pomiędzy obywatelami RPA, a także rekonstrukcji wspólnoty. Przezwyciężenie spuścizny apartheidu miało być oparte na potrzebie „zrozumienia, a nie zemsty”, „rekompensaty, a nie odwetu” oraz „ubuntu, a nie wiktymizacji”. Filozofia ubuntu (wywodząca się z małych afrykańskich wspólnot filozofia jedności, kooperacji, współczucia i respektu dla ludzkiej godności), do której odwołanie zamieszczono w Konstytucji – stała się rezerwuarem wartości dla całego systemu prawa. Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie filozofii ubuntu oraz omówienie jej roli w rozliczeniach z przeszłością w Republice Południowej Afryki i w wybranych obszarach południowoafrykańskiego prawa: w prawie karnym, regulacjach dotyczących eksmisji z nielegalnie zajmowanego gruntu oraz w regulacjach przewidujących odpowiedzialność deliktową za zniesławienie. RPA jawi się przy tym jako wyjątkowy kazus, w którym zarówno polityczna transformacja, jak i system prawny kształtowały się pod istotnym wpływem omawianych koncepcji filozoficznych i etycznych, silnie nawiązujących do idei sprawiedliwości naprawczej.

ALL-UKRAINIAN CONFERENCE ON THE 100th ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF SOIL SCIENCE AND GEOGRAPHY OF SOILS OF THE ODESA UNIVERSITY OF PROFESSOR IVAN GOGOLEV

Information is provided on the All-Ukrainian Scientific Conference, held at the Geologi­cal and Geographical Faculty of Odessa II Mechnikov National University, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the founder of the Department of Science and Geog­raphy, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, and outstanding scientist and practitioner in soil science, geography and melioration of soils, Professor Ivan Nikolaevich Gogolev. To commemorate this date and the contr ibution of Ivan Mykolayovych to the development of national soil - geography science and practice, was held the All-Ukrainian Scientif ic Conference Soil and Geography Science and Practice - Traditions and Present on September 12-13, 2019. The conference was attended by more than 80 participants-rep- resentatives of scientific institutions and educational institutions from Canada, the Rus­sian Federation, Moldova, regions of Ukraine. The conference consisted of plenary and sectional meetings. About 50 papers were included in the conference program, which considered theoretical and applied problems of soil science, genesis, chemical composi­tion and soil properties of regions of Ukraine and neighboring Moldova, protection of the soil cover of the Chernozem zone, evaluation of their current status, resear ch of scientific school.. The conference materials were published in the compilation “Soil and geograph­ical science and practice - traditions and the present”. The life of Pr ofessor Ivan Gogolev's, becoming him as a scientist, teacher is very instruc­tive. Student-excellent of agricultural academy, volunteer at the front in the Second World War, senior laboratory assistant, assistant professor, professor, head of the department, outstanding soil scientist and geographer, leading specialist in the field of reclamation soil science.

The crisis within the South African healthcare system: A multifactorial disorder

The South African (SA) healthcare system is failing its patients as a result of multiple failures within the system, including a lack of funding, poor staff morale and a low staff-to-patient ratio. These failures are rooted in dereliction of the philosophy and ethics of ubuntu – an African ethical theory. The problems in the system compound one another, which has resulted in the SA healthcare system being in crisis. Solving the crisis requires interventions on several levels, and more research into the specific ways in which the system is failing its patients.

Awakening the Ubuntu episteme to embrace knowledge management in Africa

Purpose The knowledge management (KM) models in the African organisations are influenced by the interplay between human agents from diverse societies whose experiences, values, contextual information and insights that are perceived controversial in Africa. The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the indigenous assumptions related to knowledge and its management in Africa and the perceived contradictions in the existing models by adopting the Ubuntu philosophy. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a perspective lens to examine the existing management practices and propose an integrated framework that is appropriate for the utilisation of the Ubuntu epistemic knowledge management practices and at the same time provide highlights on the perceived paradoxes and how they can be managed to improve knowledge management and people management in African societies. Findings The inductive posteriori knowledge approach is perceived to be dynamic, applicable and more desirable in the African societies as it allows organisational managers and their work teams to embrace knowledge construction, dependent on experiences in form of stories and metaphors that demonstrate successful work samples. The Ubuntu dramaturgical knowledge management approach adds value to the posteriori knowledge by refining the rhetoric stories and metaphors into empirical performance scripts that are tailored to the audiences’ expectations. Research limitations/implications The paper adapted a perspective view to explain knowledge management; therefore, it was not possible to provide empirical data on the metaphysical and dramaturgical elements that are assumed to influence knowledge management in Africa. However, based on theoretical analysis, the authors have proposed a coherent knowledge management framework based on the interaction between posteriori KM assumptions and Ubuntu dramaturgy. Practical implications Ubuntu ideology has been appreciated since it treasures interdependency and interconnectedness among people. Therefore, collaborating partners working in Africa would be expected to act as interdependent agents, whereby this interdependency is perceived as an integral part of the knowledge management process. The proposed Ubuntu knowledge management model is grounded on the posteriori knowledge approach which assumes that experience is the source of knowledge. Through social interactions and experiences sharing, organisational members can create new processes, innovative technologies and dynamic context based performance scripts that can drive productivity. Social implications The authors concluded that a coherent framework that is tailored to social interactions and contextual needs of the people and their communities can promote productive knowledge and knowledge management systems in the African contexts. Moreover knowledge management requires one to acknowledge the complexity of Ubuntu ideology in a sense that it recognises the past experiences and contributions of the diverse individuals in the same community/organisation. Originality/value This paper focused on examining how the Ubuntu philosophy can promote knowledge development and management strategies that are tailored to social and contextual needs of the organisations in Africa to curtail the perceived paradoxes in the existing knowledge management models.

Implementing a multi-faceted framework for proprietorship of hand hygiene compliance in a network of South African hospitals: leveraging the Ubuntu philosophy

Given the lack of hospital-wide ownership and shortage of nurses, the ideal model for large-scale implementation of hand hygiene (HH) behaviour change in low- and middle-income countries is unknown. The aim of the multi-modal strategy was to engender hospital accountability for HH compliance. The quasi-experimental study was conducted in 50 South African hospitals (November 2015 to July 2017) and involved five overlapping phases: executive governance and corporate behaviour change; group-wide systematic situational analysis; development of an electronic-assisted direct-observed data collection and analysis application; launch and implementation; and accountable governance. Measurement of intra- and inter-hospital variance to six HH opportunities was calculated and data compliance dashboards were e-mailed weekly to hospital leadership teams to provide feedback of recorded HH compliance and behaviour to frontline teams. Baseline comparison (July 2016) of compliance was compared versus post-implementation (July 2017). Baseline HH compliance of ≤60% was documented for 16% (8/50) of hospitals, whereas overall, 48% (24/50) of hospitals demonstrated a significant improvement (P < 0.01). Over the 13-month observation period, 523,422 observations were recorded with a mean rate of 277 ± 223 observations per 1000 patient-days. The group mean composite compliance improved by 7.8% (P < 0.01) from 77.4% ± 12.8 to 85.2% ± 8.8 between July 2016 and July 2017, respectively. Implementation of a multi-faceted HH model in a large, diverse group of South African hospitals translated into changes in the organizational systems and accountability, standardized HH compliance management and feedback that led to HH proprietorship.

Supplementing the lack of ubuntu? The ministry of Zimbabwe’s Mashoko Christian Hospital to people living with HIV and AIDS in challenging their stigmatisation in the church

This article uses the African communal concept of ubuntu to reflect on the ministry of Mashoko Christian Hospital (MCH), Zimbabwe, to people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and AIDS (PLWHA) during the early days since the discovery of the disease. The main question this article seeks to answer is: from a perspective of the African philosophy of ubuntu, how did the ministry of MCH to PLWHA challenge the fear and judgemental attitudes towards the disease within the Churches of Christ in Zimbabwe? This leads to another question: what should the churches learn from MCH’s response to HIV and AIDS? This article only focusses on trends in conduct and not on a detailed history of engaging HIV and AIDS. The significance of this article is to demonstrate the important role played by faith-based organisations (FBOs) in complementing the compassion and care often lacking in the official churches’ response to HIV and AIDS.

Interrogating the public good versus private good dichotomy: ‘black tax’ as a higher education public good

ABSTRACT The perceived dichotomy between public or private benefits to higher education remains of growing interest in higher education research and policy. In this paper, I borrow from the African philosophy of Ubuntu as a conceptual lens to interrogate this binary within the South African context using the ‘black tax’ phenomenon. Gleaning secondary evidence from online sources, I posit that while black tax is being misused and abused by some beneficiaries, the experiences of majority of black professional graduates within their nuclear and extended families suggest a public good value of higher education beyond the suggested private benefit of earnings and social mobility. I argue using core components of ‘Ubuntu’ that understanding the benefits of higher education in a context such as South Africa demands a nuance approach beyond the current dichotomy. I conclude that black tax blurs the lines and serves a public good function within a private good.

An African Philosophy of Ubuntu as a Conceptual Domain for Scholarship in the 21st Century

An African Philosophy of Ubuntu as a Conceptual Domain for Scholarship in the 21st Century

The Effect of Public Health Physical Program on Paretic Side in Environmental Water Quality

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of aquatic treadmill exercise, also called public health physical program (PHPP), including healthy environmental water quality on walking speed, step length, and gait symmetry ratios in stroke. Ten patients with hemiplegic stroke admitted for treatment were recruited for this study. The walking program consisted of administering concentrative aquatic therapy for four weeks in a therapeutic pool with a water depth equal to the xiphoid process and a water temperature of 30°C. Walking parameters were measured using a gait analysis system adjusted to each subject’s comfortable gait velocity. The velocity of walking significantly increased after the PHPP in hemiplegic subjects. Step length of paretic and non-paretic lower limbs did not change significantly from before to after the PHPP. The stance phase ratio was significantly improved after the PHPP in stroke. However, no significant improvement was found in swing phase time ratio after the PHPP. These results suggest that the public health physical program during aquatic therapy may in part cont ribute to clinically relevant improvements in walking parameters.

Refugees and immigrants in Africa: Where is an African Ubuntu?

Background: International conventions set principles and standards by which immigrants have to be treated in receiving countries. A general perception held is that Africans are hostile towards each other, while those in developed countries are arguably said to be welcoming to immigrants. Although the manner in which immigrants have to be treated is influenced by the Western practices, Africans adopt approaches that cannot be defined as better in terms of African values. Aim: The article investigates the unfair treatment of African immigrants in own continent because of ignoring the Ubuntu philosophy that guides the African life view. Setting: The article is located within the African continent and context. It argues that the immigration policies of some African countries reflect the life views that are slightly in contradiction of the Ubuntu philosophy which underpins the African life view. Methods: A desktop research approach was used to collect narrative materials to argue that Africans need to adopt an Ubuntu philosophy in dealing with immigrants so as to achieve their known peaceful and welcoming society. Results: From the literature perspective, it becomes apparent that very few countries in Africa adopted immigration policies that are congruent with the Ubuntu philosophy. Immigrants from Africa are not treated with the Ubuntu approach deserved for humanity. A number of African countries with small populations experience little immigrants’ problems as compared to those with larger populations. Conclusion: This article concludes that the best approach to immigrants is the approach in which immigrants are integrated into the society rather than being put in refugee camps, which isolate them from the society.

“Ubuntu philosophy” for public leadership and governance praxis

PurposeLeadership and governance are all about “people” and the “common welfare”. Africans have an Ubuntu philosophy which culturally calls on individuals to promote the welfare of collective society. It is therefore paradoxical to note how African leaders and governance regimes perform poorly when it comes to the usage of public resources to create conditions for collective human welfare. Why do leaders instead of championing societal advancement rather advance their selfish, egoistic and sectional interests? This study aims to unpack a prevalent paradox and discuss a new approach of linking the rich Ubuntu philosophy to Africa’s governance and leadership discourse.Design/methodology/approachThis study discusses from secondary sources of data, mainly drawn from journal articles, internet sources and scholarly books relevant to leadership and public administration in developing African countries and how Ubuntu African philosophy can be deployed to ensure leadership ethos. In attempt to obtain a more comprehensive and systematic literature review, the search covered all terms and terminologies relevant to the objective of the study. The search process mainly comprised four categories of keywords. The first category involved the concept as approximately related to leadership: “leadership and civic culture”, “Ubuntu culture” and “African collectivist culture”. For the final category, words such as “crisis”, “failure” and “experiences” were used.FindingsThis study contends that the preponderance of corruption and poor leadership in Africa is anti-cultural, anti-human, anti-ethical and anti-African; hence, those individuals who indulge or encourage leadership paralysis are not “true Africans” by deeds but merely profess to be. Linking the African Ubuntu philosophy to public leadership, the study maintains that the hallmark of public leadership and governance is to develop the skills of all and caring for the society.Practical implicationsThis study draws attention to the need for leaders to espouse virtues so that leadership becomes a tool to promote societal welfare. The hallmark of public leadership and governance is to develop the skills of all and caring for the society. It involves weighing and balancing professional and legal imperatives within a democratic and ethical context with an ultimate responsibility to the people and public interest. It is not a responsibility to a particular set of citizens, but a commitment to be just and equitable to all. The preponderance of corruption and bad leadership is anti-cultural, anti-human, anti-ethical and anti-African; hence, individuals who indulge or encourage leadership paralysis are not true Africans by deeds but merely profess to be.Originality/valueThis study draws a clear link between indigenous African cultural value system and ethical public leadership. It draws congruence between Africa's Ubuntu philosophy of civic virtue and Africa's leadership/governance. This will bring about a renewal of thoughts and practice of public leadership on the continent, as it has been demonstrated that a true African seeks collective social welfare and not selfish interest.

Potential etiology, prevalence of cirrhosis, and mode of detection among patients with non-B non-C hepatocellular carcinoma in Korea.

Background/AimsWe systematically evaluated the clinical characteristics, prevalence of cirrhosis, and mode of detection in virus-unrelated (non-B non-C, NBNC) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients in Korea.MethodsA total of 447 consecutive treatment-naïve NBNC-HCC adult patients who were registered at the Samsung Medical Center HCC registry in Korea from 2010 to 2013 were analyzed. NBNC was defined as negative hepatitis B surface antigen and negative anti-hepatitis C virus antibody. Presence of cirrhosis was determined based on histological, radiological, endoscopic, and serologic results. Mode of detection was classified as either under surveillance, incidental, or symptomatic.ResultsHeavy alcohol use was the most common potential etiology in NBNCHCC (NBNC-A, alcohol) (59.7%). Ten patients had other identifiable causes (NBNC-O, other identifiable cause) such as autoimmune hepatitis. The rest (38.0%) had no-identifiable cause (NBNC-NA-NO, non-alcohol, no-other identifiable cause). In NBNC-NA-NO group, 83.5% (96/115) of patients with available hepatitis B core immunoglobulin G antibody (HBcIgG) showed HBcIgG positivity, and 80.6% (137/170) had metabolic risk factors (diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and/ or dyslipidemia). Cirrhosis was present in 90.0%, 70.4%, and 60.0% of NBNC-O, NBNC-A, and NBNC-NA-NO patients, respectively. The proportion of patients diagnosed under surveillance was 25.5% across all patients, with specific proportions being 80.0%, 27.7%, and 18.8% for NBNC-O, NBNC-A, and NBNC-NA-NO, respectively.ConclusionsAmong NBNC-HCC patients, heavy alcohol use or any other identifiable cause was not found in 38.0%. These NBNC-NA-NO HCC patients showed a high prevalence of HBcIgG positivity and metabolic risk factors, suggesting that prior hepatitis B virus infection and metabolic risk factors may be major contributing factors in the hepatocarcinogenesis in NBNC-NA-NO patients.

Discussing inclusive development and governance in Zimbabwe: Pragmatizing Hunhu/ Ubuntu philosophy

In this paper, I reflect on whether the new Zimbabwe government under the presidency of Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa has the capacity to arrest the developmental challenges facing the country in order to bring about inclusive development which will see the needs of the marginalized or excluded groups such as the poor, women, children, the elderly and people living with disabilities being addressed. I argue that two of the biggest problems bedeviling Zimbabwe today are chronic poverty and disease, which are a legacy of the Zimbabwe government led by ousted former President Robert Gabriel Mugabe. I contend that Mugabe’s government failed to manage its politics, which, in turn, resulted in the decline of Zimbabwe’s economy in the last two decades leading to high unemployment, hyperinflation, brain drain, cash crisis and the outbreak of diseases among a host of problems. My claim is that the effects of the problems listed above are still being felt today. I submit that although the philosophy of hunhu/ubuntu became endangered during Mugabe’s reign, it can still be deployed in the new dispensation to bring about inclusive development by coming up with policies that will attract investors through improving relations with the developed world as well as dealing with the problem of corruption. Keywords: Governance, Development, Inclusive Development, Marginalization, Hunhu/Ubuntu.