Ubuntu

I have been impacted by the power and beauty of the African cultural practice of ubuntu, which is translated: "I am what I am because of who we all are." This concept/value/code of ethics speaks about our interconnectedness, our common humanity and the responsibility to each other that flows from our deeply felt connection. I think this concept of interconnectedness is something that I have always felt and approached life. But, this concept and  approach to community is something that I have only come to truly understand while here, in Africa, especially compared to my western upbringing, which emphasized being individualistic. 

My first day of my internship, my classmate and I were asked to edit a video which starts with the Zulus saying "umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu," which means a person is a person through other persons. The video states that it is the essence of township living: sharing and caring, empowering and uplifting one another is the common trait of these communities. And this is what I saw in Guguletu and Nyanga, when I was working at my internship with Mhani Gingi.  It is humanistic way of life and I am so thankful to have experienced and understand this culture and morals (compassion, cooperation and communalism) of Ubuntu. Here are some greater people sharing the meaning of Ubuntu in the world:

‘The spirit of Ubuntu, that profound African sense that we are human only through the humanity of other human beings – is not a parochial phenomenon, but has added globally to our common search for a better world’ (Nelson Mandela, 2000)

One of the sayings in our country is Ubuntu – the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can't exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can't be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality – Ubuntu – you are known for your generosity. We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole World. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity (Tutu, 2008).

 I plan to keep ubuntu in my heart and my mind from now on.

Truth be told...in cartoons.

In High School, I became very political and grew obsessed with political cartoons. I would cut them out of newspapers and magazines, then put them on my notebooks and my school calendar. I even started an issue of my high school's ACLU newsletter (Yes, we had an American Civil Liberties Union club in high school) that focused only on political cartoons of the day, which was during the 2000 elections. From time to time, I enjoy a good political cartoon, but mostly collect wacky and weird stories from the newspapers.

While I have been in South Africa and learning about the domestic politics, I have fallen in love political cartoons again. There is an artist/cartoonist names Zapiro here in South Africa, who I think is so talented and can say so much in one picture. Most of his cartoons focus on South Africa, but some cover international news like the Europe crisis and Egypt. My favorites are the commentary on the controversial President, Jacob Zuma, for which he is getting sued by for defamation. The topic and issue of freedom of speech is very interesting one here because it often conflicts with the other constitutional right of human dignity (like does it cover public figures, like Zuma). These constitutional issues are very interesting to me because South Africa is a developing democracy and country, and it has never had to deal w/ these issues before.  Being here in Cape Town during the controversy over the Spear painting has been really interesting because it has raised these constitutional issues and also raised issues of race that hasn't been dealt with since apartheid. Zapiro recently made his own commentary about the issue freedom of speech and distaste for Zuma's hypocrisy, which has gotten him in trouble again. I am interested to keep following this issue when I return back home to the States. 

But for now, here is a link to Zapiro's delightful tribute to Madiba for his 94th birthday. Enjoy!