Children's understanding of 'Ubuntu'
Author: Marta Bonna

"The concept of Ubuntu has recently received a lot of attention in spite of the fact that there is no consensus about its meaning. African scholars have strived to attain a common meaning and English translation, and while they agree that it is typically and solely African, the closest some have come up with is 'African humanism'. A South African saying is frequently used to illustrate the core tenet of the ethics of Ubuntu: 'unumtu ngumumntu ngabantu', which translated into English means: 'A person depends on others to be a person.' The principles underlying the way of life proposed by Ubuntu are transferred from generation to generation through fables, sayings, proverbs and by tradition through the socialization of children in which the whole community is involved. Bearing in mind that traditional values may become diluted or lost during times of change and urbanization..."

Affiliation: a University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa

DOI: 10.1080/03004430701269291
Publication Frequency: 10 issues per year
Published in: Early Child Development and Care, Volume 177, Issue 8 December 2007 , pages 863 - 873
First Published: December 2007
Subject: Child Development;
Formats available: HTML (English) : PDF (English)
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Abstract
The concept of Ubuntu has recently received a lot of attention in spite of the fact that there is no consensus about its meaning. African scholars have strived to attain a common meaning and English translation, and while they agree that it is typically and solely African, the closest some have come up with is 'African humanism'. A South African saying is frequently used to illustrate the core tenet of the ethics of Ubuntu: 'unumtu ngumumntu ngabantu', which translated into English means: 'A person depends on others to be a person.' The principles underlying the way of life proposed by Ubuntu are transferred from generation to generation through fables, sayings, proverbs and by tradition through the socialization of children in which the whole community is involved. Bearing in mind that traditional values may become diluted or lost during times of change and urbanization, 215 South African black children of two different age groups and from three geographical areas—rural, urban and semi-urban—were interviewed about their understanding of the concept of Ubuntu. A content analysis of their responses refutes the belief that the traditional ethics of Ubuntu are disappearing with the changes taking place and the rise in urbanization. While the replies of the children sometimes reflected the prominence of those facets of Ubuntu which might have had more significance in their specific milieu and age, perhaps denoting that the community selected views of Ubuntu which made more sense to them, from the results of this study, it can be said that Ubuntu is still alive and thriving as far as these children were concerned.
Keywords: Ubuntu; Children's understanding of; Traditional values and urbanization