UBUNTU

I AM BECAUSE YOU ARE

Ubuntu is a South African term which hinges on the philosophy of communalism or collective responsibility. Ubuntu in English says “I am because you are”. This is parallel to Rene Descarte’s philosophy of individualism summed in the saying ‘Corgito Ego sum’ which translates to ‘I think therefore I am’. Africa is a continent made up of fifty-seven countries, all of which take pride in their rich African history. Ubuntu strikes an affirmation of one’s humanity through the recognition of another human in his or her uniqueness and difference. The philosophy of Ubuntu posits that a Nigerian upon meeting a Ghanaian in Europe should call him brother.


However, recent events in the continent have questioned the relevance of Ubuntuism in Africa. From xenophobic attacks in South Africa to Slavery and Slave trade in Libya to political despotism in Zimbabwe and terrorism in Nigeria; peace, unity, harmony, and love have become faded inscriptions on the wall. These horrific incidents point to the fact that Africans are yet to realize that Unity brings success while disunity breeds failure.


In Nigeria, the acclaimed Giant of Africa, most populous country in Africa and home to the richest Black man in the world, the notorious Boko Haram terrorist group has laid siege on local communities in the North-Eastern part of the country with consistent terrorist insurgencies. These insurgencies have had an adverse effect on the Nigerian economy- it depleted the country’s human resources, foreign investments were withdrawn and development was stalled in those areas. The terrorist insurgencies in Nigeria have done no good to the country; the burning question then is, why is it still on the rise?


South Africa, the acclaimed Rainbow nation, a melting pot of various races, creeds, cultures, and backgrounds is home to Xenophobia. Over time, hate attacks on foreigners in South Africa have been on the rise- Africans inclusive. The most current being the April 2015 attacks. A rainbow accepts its seven diverse colors and its diversity is its beauty. What kind of rainbow nation is South Africa then?


Let us visit Libya, holder of the largest proven oil reserves in Africa, where African migrants are sold off as slaves; where the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights is trampled upon with impunity. In Libya, Africa was flung back to the age of the barbaric human trade. Is this Ubuntu?


Zimbabwe! The Zimbabwe of Robert Mugabe where a President clings onto power for almost four decades, refusing to hand over power despite seating economic crisis in the country. If Ubuntu thrives in Africa, Zimbabwe would not have Robert Mugabe.


Africa is her own war, she must fight to extricate herself from the numerous problems that hinder her from developing like her counterparts. Africans must embrace Ubuntu. They must divorce all kinds of greed, egotism, and individualism and marry unity, peace, and harmony because these are essential ingredients to societal growth and development. If not, the continent will never develop, her intellectuals will continue to seek resort in other continents and she will remain a dumping ground for foreign goods. This is the responsibility of every boy, girl, man and woman in Nigeria, South Africa, Libya, Zimbabwe and other African countries to promote the ideals of Ubuntu, after all, we are all in this together.