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Cultural activities play an important part in transforming Ubuntu/Unhu

Leroy Dzenga Features Writer
The word ubuntu or unhu has been loosely thrown around in moral and Pan-Africanist discourse, to the extent that mentioning good deeds without it reduces the impact of the narrative. Its popularity with writers and speakers alike is reflective of how African communities especially in Zimbabwe identify positively with an acceptable standard of behaviour. More times than often, people have been publicly rebuked for showing a deficiency in morality. The recent Zodwa Wabantu debacle which saw actress Anne Nhira divide opinion by her choice to toe the moral line is fresh evidence. The assortment of reactions Nhira elicited showed a disparity in the way Zimbabweans interpret the idea of ubuntu.

Coincidentally a few weeks after the display of heterogeneity, the Great Zimbabwe University through its Dzimbahwe Arts and Cultural Festival, hosted an academic symposium on the theme where cultural critics and scholars converged to dissect the concept and its density in Zimbabwean consciousness. In the panel was cultural critic Dr Sekai Nzenza who unpacked the difficulties involved in dispensing some traditional values of African life with Christianity in the picture. Delivering a presentation titled “Ubuntu or Hunhu,” Dr Nzenza raised points explaining the contemporary form of the concept.

“In our cultural way of respect, we had a way we used to execute our daily expectations which defined us as people. Like the concept of totems which fostered multiple relations even at a corporate level,” Dr Nzenza said.

Problematic is the link between major religions and the indigenous way of existence, some beliefs and ideas.

“There was a dilemma or challenge between the way Africans used to behave under ubuntu and the Christian way of life which has become popular. The many churches we have are a reflection of the dilemma that we faced since colonial days and it has continued to grow. The conflict cannot be wished away,” said Dr Nzenza.

Despite these conflicts, it is difficult to ignore the ideas that have governed indigenous lives since time immemorial.

“We have roles within our culture which expand on who we are, for instance family relations where if a person is a son-in-law, they have certain duties they are expected to execute. However, those duties change if they go into an environment where they are respected and perceived differently,” Dr Nzenza said.

She added; “We don’t have a one static role on our identity, we are related to each other in different ways but it gets confusing when people try to translate these social facets to Western concepts. My bone of contention is to do with not taking our traditional roles and responsibilities because people pledged allegiance to Christianity and other religions, that is a threat to ubuntu.”

Dr Nzenza brought to the fore the possible impact of ubuntu on nation building.

“Zimbabwe is struggling with corruption but maybe if there was enough emphasis of ubuntu ethics in institutions, I don’t think we would be facing the current challenges,” Dr Nzenza said.

There is a striking resemblance between the concept of ubuntu and other African philosophies.

“My interaction with Ghanaian academics introduced me to a concept known as Sangofa, which is based on a mythical bird that seems to fly in the reverse of where the head is facing. Its significance is that people should be guided by who they are through their own history but looking into the future as well,” said Dr Nzenza.

The idea of ubuntu is fluid and transcends disciplines, which widens space for perspectives from various angles of thought. An expert in archaeology and Southern African cultural heritage Dr Simon Makuvaza identified colonialism as a major factor in the corrosion of ubuntu. In his presentation titled “Traditional conservation practices at Matobo Cultural Landscape,” he chronicled how Zimbabwe’s unfortunate encounter with the settlers defiled local values.

“Colonialists appropriated our landscapes as national parks and forest areas. All these places were home to indigenous people whose lives were disturbed by the forced evictions,” Dr Makuvaza said.

Landscapes like Matopo Hills, the Drankensburg Mountains were all former homes to the different tribes in the pre-colonial era.

“The coming in of national parks has destroyed ubuntu as some of the values people had were derived from landmarks in their proximity. Like the sacredness of certain mountains and their significance to the people,” said Dr Makuvaza.

Ubuntu helped in environmental preservation through some of its principles.

“In the case of Matobo Hills, it was inhabited by the hunter gatherer community. In that time Ubuntu ensured that it was not defiled as it is centred on peace and good deeds.

This is the same idea that kept monuments like Great Zimbabwe and Njelele unscathed over the years,” Dr Makuvaza said. There is need to revisit the original idea of ubuntu and incorporate it into the existing systems of living characterising current times. Director of the African Languages Research Institute (ALRI) at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ), Dr Francis Matambirofa highlighted how Ubuntu is embedded in the day to day interactions of African people.

“Unhu comes from the architecture and construction of our culture. Our culture is primarily communal. It is the commonality of community through which we derive our identity from unhu or ubuntu,” Dr Matambirofa said.

Ubuntu pervades different aspects of life. It is the way in which our language builds. There are things we take for granted when they are part of ubuntu like the way we greet each other. It is difficult to call an adult by their first name in our indigenous culture. This is why people use a plural address, in greetings like “makadini”. It shows the dictates of Ubuntu, the way we relate is ethical. Questions were also asked on the level to which ubuntu can affect creative and alternative thinking.

“We need to ask the extent to which Ubuntu affects variation. Are we not letting talent go to waste especially when we abuse it? Sometimes people invoke the concept of ubuntu or unhu to serve their personal interests. Usually discussed as a complex idea cultured over the years, there is need to interrogate the core elements of the philosophy,” Dr Matambirofa said.

“Is ubuntu a single idea or is it a continuum of things? In our culture we take things for granted because they are not written down. When we talk of ubuntu are we talking of the same thing? Is ubuntu fixed or is it dialectical, does it change over time or it stays the same?

“At higher levels of discourse, Afrocentricism draws from Ubuntu. If you look at earlier movements of francophone Africa’s negritude, it drew from ubuntu,” said Dr Matambirofa.

African intellectuals were criticised for dwelling too much on the wounds of colonialism disturbing their healing process and growth. Ubuntu is an African concept. The word ubuntu comes from Bantu languages, and can be roughly translated as “humanity towards others.” Ubuntu embodies all those attributes that maintain harmony and the spirit of sharing among the members of a society. It implies an appreciation of traditional beliefs, and a constant awareness that an individual’s actions today are a reflection on the past, and will have far-reaching consequences for the future.

A person with ubuntu knows his or her place in the universe and is consequently able to interact gracefully with other individuals. One aspect of ubuntu is that, at all times, the individual effectively represents the people from among whom he or she comes, and therefore tries to behave according to the highest standards and exhibit the virtues upheld by his or her society. The idea has galvanised indigenous communities over the years. It is its applicability in the increasingly diverse world that has become a bone of contention.

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