“UBUNTU”: THE ITINERARY, IMPORT AND UTILITY OF THE IDEA

Ubuntu has become a buzz word in Southern African. These days, there is talk of ‘Ubuntu magazine’, ‘Ubuntu software,’ ‘ubuntu style of management’, ‘ubuntu ethics’, ‘Ubuntu foods’, ‘ubuntu psychology’(Washington 2010) and so on. The concept has gained a lot of currency with the completion of the de-colonization of South Africa in 1994. The question is; what is the meaning and import of the term?This paper is a philosophical examination of the concept historically and critically, with the view of determining its expediency in matters to do with nation-building, democracy and good governance all of which pervade contemporary African thought. Given the processes of globalization, can the concept make any impact? Is there utility of the concept in the development of the sub-region?

Keywords: Community, Ontology, Ubuntu, humanity