ABSTRACT
Ubuntu is an African philosophy most closely associated with the Zulu/Xhosa expression “umntu ngumntu ngabantu” – which translates as “a person is a person through other people”, or “I am because we are” or “I am because you are”. Similar across all nine recognized languages of South Africa, and evident in various forms in other African nations, Ubuntu expresses a fundamental belief that a person’s relations with other people are foundational in creating personal identity and significantly contribute to the flourishing of the community. The community precedes the individual, and the self is shaped by relationships with others.
