Quick Answer: What Does Ubuntu Really Mean?

What is ubuntu in African philosophy?

Ubuntu can best be described as an African philosophy that places emphasis on ‘being self through others’. It is a form of humanism which can be expressed in the phrases ‘I am because of who we all are’ and ubuntu ngumuntu ngabantu in Zulu language.

What does ubuntu mean in Afrikaans?

Ubuntu – from the Nguni phrase, ‘Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu‘ – is a concept found throughout Africa. It literally means that ‘a person is a person through other people’. It describes the philosophy of kinship across race and creed, and represents an openness that all people could have to one another.