Betty Firth

My ongoing interest in how community works triggered some research into the Ubuntu philosophy, which embodies interconnectedness, compassion, and communal harmony. It is based on the idea that people will live better and thrive through mutual support and respect. The term “Ubuntu,” which means “I am because we are,” is a concept quite foreign to us in our culture and history of rugged individualism.
The word Ubuntu and the philosophy originated in several Bantu-speaking countries in Africa but was popularized in post-apartheid South Africa by Bishop Desmond Tutu’s work and Nelson Mandela’s leadership, which focused on reconciliation and uniting people across the political, class, and racial spectrum. Reconciliation emphasized forgiveness, inclusion, and the collective good.
Tutu described Ubuntu as “the essence of being human.” A person with Ubuntu is generous, hospitable, friendly, caring, honest, and compassionate; they share what they have. He explained, “In traditional African society, Ubuntu was coveted more than anything else — more than wealth as measured in cattle and the extent of one’s land. Without this quality, a prosperous man, even though he might have been a chief, was regarded as someone deserving of pity and even contempt. If you lacked Ubuntu, in a sense you lacked an indispensable ingredient of being human.”
The term Ubuntu is multifaceted. It is descriptive, in saying what a human being is, while it is also prescriptive, in saying what a human being ought to be. It sets a high bar but with the capacity for forgiveness.
Tutu said, “It is to say my humanity is inextricably bound up in yours. We belong in a bundle. A person is a person through other persons.”
Mandela appointed Tutu to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which sought to foster healing through truth-telling and collective forgiveness, following the principles of Ubuntu. In his book “No Future Without Forgiveness,” Tutu said the Commission was “an attempt to balance justice, accountability, stability, peace, and reconciliation while attempting to set out a public account of the horrors of the apartheid regime.”
When I say it is a foreign concept for us, I don’t mean to imply that Americans do not exhibit these excellent qualities. Most of us have some of the qualities some of the time, and some outstanding citizens embody many or all of them. Our level of volunteerism is one of the highest in the world, with 28 percent of people 16 and older volunteering. Not surprising to us Minnesotans, the highest levels within the U.S. are in the Midwest and West, with Minnesota at 38 percent, bested only by Utah, Idaho, and Iowa. An even higher percentage of Americans — 54 percent — help out informally with neighbors.
What I am saying is that our country has been built on capitalism, consumerism, and private property rights, including the right to own other human beings. The 19th-century American ideology of Manifest Destiny that the United States was divinely ordained by God to expand its democratic institutions and capitalist economy across the entire North American continent was used to justify westward expansion, imperialism, and the displacement of Indigenous peoples, who themselves often embodied the Ubuntu principles in their tribal nations.
Capitalism depends on continual growth with those that have the capital benefitting from the labor of others. It encourages competition and can foster greed, dishonesty, and unfair labor practices, taking advantage of those workers who are producing the wealth for the businesses and the owners.
In a capitalist society, individuals are lauded who are competitive, aggressive, and wealthy, regardless of how they achieved that wealth. Success is defined by the accumulation of material things and the fame and power those bring.
I was curious if there were any wealthy countries which exhibited Ubuntu, and my research showed that none of the wealthy-style economies are governed by collectivist principles. The Nordic countries do have values and economic policies that prioritize the good of the community but do not share the Ubuntu philosophy completely.
Many wealthy individuals, referred to as high net worth individuals, do initiate and support efforts that improve communities. And some embrace ethical capitalism, which encourages business owners and investors to prioritize the long-term social impact to create a more equitable and inclusive world.
Among African nations, Botswana, South Africa, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania are proponents of Ubuntu or similar governing principles, which emphasize community consensus, the well-being of all citizens, and caring for vulnerable individuals.
In Botswana, one of the most prosperous and stable countries in Africa, natural resource wealth is used to fund education and public infrastructure.
Policies about natural resources are key to the economic health of a state or nation. Louisiana is a good example of the catastrophic results of policies that favor business at the cost of the well-being of its citizens. Louisiana is one of the wealthiest states in natural resources. It has two-thirds of all U.S. liquified natural gas exports. It is a leading producer of salt. It extracts 10 of the 17 rare earth elements from bauxite aluminum waste. It has 15 million acres of forestland feeding a massive timber and forestry products industry. There are over 25,000 farms with the Mississippi River providing a global highway for agricultural distribution.
Its coastal estuaries produce over half of the commercial fish caught in the Gulf of Mexico. Its five deep-draft ports handle some of the highest tonnage in the world, connecting to international markets. The shipping industry and related commerce provide 20 percent of the state’s jobs and generate $620 million in revenue PER DAY.
Yet, Louisiana rates 48th to 50th in almost every measure of social well-being, including health care, education, women’s and children’s health, violent crime, and a rock bottom median income, with 18 percent of the state living in poverty. The tax breaks, exclusions, rebates, and other benefits given to the corporations like Exxon/Mobil are truly shocking along with the level of political corruption in the Republican-controlled state. Louisiana is a prime example of how greed can take over, generating corruption at all levels, and why it is unlikely that the average corporate entities will not operate with more social conscience than the law requires.
So, although the U.S. is still one of the wealthiest countries in the world, the quality of life for its citizens by many measures has been declining as political strategies have created an economy geared to benefit the wealthy and corporations.
Also, the reported epidemic of loneliness and despair indicates something more is needed beyond material goods. It certainly seems a desirable goal to strengthen our connections with each other. Minnesota showed the world what it looks like to stand up for our neighbors, provide mutual aid, and oppose the illegal and unconstitutional actions of federal agents. We can do more.
Ely Indivisible is one organization of many promoting community connections and mutual caring as people come together to work on issues they are concerned about and voice their concerns to elected officials and candidates. Come join in a commemorative gathering on Flag Day, Sunday, June 14, at Whiteside Park from 5-6:30 p.m. to remember and honor Minnesota state Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, who were murdered one year ago. Let us set aside our differences as we speak up for a future that works for all of us.