Faculty of Commerce

Department : Business Management

Name : Katerere Peter C

Registration Number : M185076

Programme : Bachelor’s (Hons) Degree in Business

Management [Block Release]

Course Title : African Philosophy & Thought

Course code : BAC 101

Lecturer : Mr J Mukusha

Assignment Question:

Analyse the main tenets of Ramose’s ubuntu philosophy.

Our ubuntu is the foundation of love for African wisdom. It was believed by certain scholars
such as Kant and Hegel that there is no philosophy in Africa. They concluded that Africans
are black from top to bottom as an indication that whatever they say is stupid or nonsense, a
diplomatic way of saying Africans cannot think. However, Ramose challenged this ideology
using the following tenets as discussed below. The writer will begin by defining key terms:
ubuntu and philosophy and further examine the main tenets of Ramose’s ubuntu in
philosophy.

Ubuntu

It consists of the prefix ubu- and the stem -ntu. Ramose (1999) concurs with the view that
ubuntu is an expression of the totality of our Africanness and our being. This implies that it is
more than one thing depending on the situation. Thus, our behaviour.

Philosophy

It is made up of two Greek terms ‘philo’ meaning love and ‘sophia’ meaning wisdom. This
means that philosophy is the love for wisdom. Phillips (1995) avers that philosophy is like a
pencil sharpener that sharpens our minds. This explains that philosophy involves critical
interpretation, analysis and evaluation of issues. Hence, philosophy is philosophising.

The Living

These are the living human beings. Ramose (1999) argued that the living makes the speech
and knowledge of being possible. This means that Africans are able to think as they take
responsibilities to take care of others. For example, adults in Africa have the responsibility to
look after the young ones and the aged. It can be noted that even in Zimbabwe there are a
homes for orphanage, elderly and disabled are being built in to look after these disadvantaged
groups in our societies. In the past, the young ones were trained life surviving skills such as
hunting, farming and gathering fruits, insects and herbs as well as our morals so that they
were able to pass them to the next generation. In the modern society these skills are being
taught using schools, technical colleges and other institutions.

In addition, Africans have their own culture which includes language and religion. Temples
(1945) acknowledged the existence of African philosophy challenging that they have their
culture and he also warned those who were interested in the colonisation of Africa saying, ‘if
you come here thinking that Africans have no philosophy you better pack your bags and go’.
Therefore, the missionaries have to dilute our own culture by introducing Christianity and
Islamic. Africans are highly religious and respect the world of spirituality and sacred places.
It can be noted that there is African Traditional Religion that was practised long back,
whereby the living approached God through their spirit-mediums. This indicates that the
living have their own culture. Hence, the living in Africa have their own traditional beliefs.

Furthermore, there are the living legends who were driven by a nationalist ideological
political philosophy such as Kaunda K of Zambia amongst others. He used the African
humanism ideology to drive his people into unity and familyhood as he waved his
charismatic handkerchief sloganeering ‘one Zambia one nation’. This indicates that there is
ubuntu in African philosophy. Hence the living can critically think, examine and evaluate
issues.

The Living Dead

Umuntu cannot obtain ubuntu without the intervention of the living-dead. These are the
beings who have passed away from the land of the living (Ramose, 1999). This indicates that
the dead are no longer existing in bodily form as they used to be but are existing somewhere
in the spiritual world unknown by the living. Despite the fact that there is separation of the
living being and the dead, there is a belief that they communicate with the living commonly
known as ‘vadzimu’. In this sense they are immortal. Therefore, they play a major role in
protecting or caring for the living. The living has the responsibility of appeasing the dead
such as tomb unveiling. For instance, as a nation of Zimbabwe we also recognise our
ancestors on the Heroes Day, those that died for the liberation struggle as it is believed that
their spirits helped the living to earn independence of 1980 and are still protecting the nation
from its enemies. This applies at family level where the dead protect the living and the living
perform ceremonies commonly as ‘chenura’.

The Yet to be Born

It is another dimension of the yet to be born. These are beings of the future. It means that the
living have a responsibility to give births to those unborn (Ramose, 1999). This explains why
man and woman get married so as to fulfil this natural law ‘be fruitful and multiply’. Africans
are so much particular in giving birth after marriage as a custom. Hence it is viewed as a
taboo if one fails to give birth in marriage.

In a nutshell, the essay has examined the main characteristics of Ramose’s ubuntu philosophy
which includes the living, the living dead and the yet to be born. The writer has unveiled the
philosophy in Africa which was a misconception to other scholars as challenged by Ramose.
Hence, Africans have a philosophy.
REFERENCES:

Ramose, M.B. (1999). Philosophy from Africa. South Africa: Oxford Southern Africa.

Temples, (1945). Bantu Philosophy. Democratic Republic of Congo: Presence Africaine.

Philips, (1995). Philosophy in Education. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.