ABSTRACT

In this chapter I draw on and contrast some of the formal properties of one prevalent approach to communication found in the West and bring into clearer focus an alternative model of public discourse that is rooted in the relational African philosophy of ubuntu. What emerges is a deliberative process that I understand as a collective and collaborative form of inquiry, which promotes the contextualization and flexibility of views and which elicits diversity and participation. What I term ‘deliberation culture’ distinguishes itself from Western notions of deliberative democracy, entails an open-ended approach to framing, a chiefly exploratory rhetoric, an inclusive identity formation and a mediation that is facilitatory and consultative. Deliberation culture opens lines of actions where other approaches limit them.