Edible and quaffable opportunities to demonstrate Ubuntu are all around us

Almost all South Africans claim to recognise and respect the concept of Ubuntu, but ask an assortment of Mzansites to describe its meaning and many (not always compatible) explanations are invariably offered up. As Archbishop Desmond Tutu observed: “It’s difficult to define, but you know when Ubuntu is there, and it is obvious when it is absent.”

Part of the problem is that no one English word adequately explains this Nguni Bantu language term that incorporates (among other things) elements of mindfulness, ethics, empathy, compassion, cooperation, consensus, sharing, spirituality, solidarity, humility, humanity, hospitality, respect and dignity. While the word “Ubuntu” has gained the greatest international recognition through its usage by former president Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, similar sentiments are expressed as botho by Sesotho speaking South Africans. Across Sub-Saharan Africa equivalents exist such as unhu in Shona, Zimbabwe, and bomoto, gimuntu, umunthu and vumuntu in Congo, Angola, Malawi and Mozambique.

The proverb: “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu” (literally isiZulu for a person is a person through other people) is frequently cited in an attempt to clarify the complex collection of moral principles and practices involved, but even these wise words do not completely capture its philosophical, psychological, social and spiritual essence. 

On one level it functions as a humanist alternative to the Western maxim of: “I think therefore I am.” Where the latter is individualistic, the former recognises humanity beyond individual physical and psychological properties with reference to the broader community. Within such a worldview, respectful, harmonious human relationships are essential for realisation of full personhood. Such connections apply not only to family and friends, but also to strangers. 

Essential for life

Because eating is essential for life, many of the metaphors, similes and stories used to illustrate Ubuntu are related to producing or sharing food. The isiZulu adage: “Isisu somhambi asingakanani, singangenso yenyoni” (the traveller’s stomach is not big, it is the size of a bird’s kidney) illustrates the cultural importance attached to offering some form of imbibement to visitors regardless of who they are and where they come from. 

Similarly, “ukusisa” (traditionally when a relatively wealthy rural family loaned a cow to a poorer family so that they had access to milk to drink, dung for firewood and a way to plough their fields). This practice is not charity. It is based on the understanding of dignity in reciprocity. If the cow produces offspring, the first calf belongs to the owner and the second to the person feeding the cow. The term is now used outside of agriculture to denote any form of support that allows the vulnerable to obtain dignified self-sufficiency. 

In traditional rural settings when there is physical labour to be accomplished (such as tilling of the soil or bringing in a harvest), traditional beer was brewed and food prepared, and the wider community came together to share the work as an act of “ilimo”. In urban environments this term is now used metaphorically to mean any assistance undertaken without an expectation of pay. 

Similarly, the isiXhosa verb “ukuxabangela” (which refers to a farming method whereby pumpkins, maize and climbing beans are grown together) can be cited as a supportive simile. The maize provides the structure upon which the beans climb, the beans introduce nitrogen into the earth and the pumpkins spread along the ground preventing weeds, protecting roots and retaining moisture in the soil. We are through, by and with others. 

Spiritual significance

While an outside observer might mistake the above examples for secular social ethic, in traditional South African belief systems it also has spiritual significance. Ubuntu acts as a metaphysical soul force extending the concept of humanity and community beyond the present population. African ancestral consciousness and reverence for respected senior clansmen, living and dead, forms the essential foundation. 

Every individual is understood as the fruit of their ancestors and the ancestor of descendants yet to come. Death has no dominion and ancestors are actively involved in regulating the everyday conduct of the living. They can and do punish those behaving badly. “Ukuhlonipha”, meaning respect, is one of the most central connected values. Behaving in respectful, traditionally appropriate ways is essential because an individual’s actions today reflect on the dignity of those who came before and have far reaching consequences for future generations.

Swaady Martin, the force behind Yswara luxe ubuntu tea. (Photo: Supplied)

Yswara luxe ubuntu tea packaging. (Photo: Supplied)

Dorah Motedi, Retang Phaahla and Sibongile Machika of Setsong Tea. (Photo: Supplied)