What’s in a Word? The Meaning of Ubuntu

Ubuntu is an ancient African word rooted in humanist African philosophy and can be roughly translated as “humanity to others”, or “I am because we are”. It comes from the Zulu proverb “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu”, meaning “a person is a person through other people”. The word's origin can also be found in other languages derived from the Bantu language family, and other sub-Saharan languages stretching from Zimbabwe to Rwanda. Ubuntu’s ethos reaches far and wide and is integral to many sub-Saharan African cultures. Though Ubuntu has various meanings, the core interpretation seems to remain the same: humanity rooted in kindness.