Ubuntu

Ubuntu is an African term that represents an ideal; an ideology that was birthed out of sub-Saharan Africa, of co-operation between individuals, cultures, and nations.

It has various interpretations and translations in English, among these are:

  • Humanity towards others.
  • I am because we are.
  • A person becomes human through other persons.
  • A person is a person because of other persons.

While ubuntu is often thought of as a traditional African concept, it is linked to the idea of an African Renaissance and seen as one of the founding principles of the new republic of South Africa.

And who better to explain the meaning of ubuntu when it comes to someone in political sphere, other than Nelson Mandela? There’s a web video at this link.

Ubuntu is also the name of a Linux operating system.