Although evidence from the studies carried out by Mbigi (1997), Samkange (1980) and Mbiti (1976), inter alia, have reinforced Ubuntu philosophy as a potential sustainable solution to the socio-economic challenges of Africa, it has also been criticised for the various issues it has failed to address. The following is Kochalumchuvatti’s (2010:108) indictment of the Ubuntu philosophy:
The humanitarian problems of Africa are manifest and widespread, despite the periodic occurrences of ethnic cleansing as seen in Rwanda, the ongoing conflict in Darfur-Sudan, the breakdown of democracy under the dictatorship of President Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, the outbreak of post-election violence in Kenya and Zimbabwe respectively, the widespread growth of HIV/AIDS and overwhelming endemic poverty are by no means isolated examples of the tragedies which continue to plague the continent.
These and similar issues have become the subject of intense philosophical debate and reflection.
The philosophical debate for sufficiency of Ubuntu philosophy as a solution for the socio-economic challenges of modern-day Africa was raised by the Universalist philosophers. Ikunoube (1997) argues that the dark side of Ubuntu philosophy was exposed by the Universalist philosophers against the Particularist philosophers.
Universalist, according to Ikuonobe (1997), is a group of African philosophers whose point of view advocates that philosophy must have some meaning in all cultures, while the subjects and methods are dictated by cultural differences or the existing environment of the context. The Universalist critically questions the authenticity of African philosophy at a global spectrum. In doing so, the Universalists, mainly composed of the professional philosophers, attacked the Particularist (ethno-philosophy, sage and nationalist philosophy) point of view that advocates for the particularisation of African philosophy (Egbunu, 2013). Thus, Owolabi (1999) observes that this voice of the Universalist has prematurely constricted the normal development curve of African philosophy.
The denial of Ubuntu philosophy as authentic philosophy according to Owolabi (1999) is predicated in its gross lack of strict, rigorous and critical discipline as with Western philosophy. Owolabi (1999) further argues that African philosophy is denigrated because of its view as the popular sense of worldview of African people,
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and its reliance on oral rather than written or documented tradition as with Western philosophy. Furthermore, Kochalumchutti (2010:112) postulates that:
Some critics have viewed Ubuntu as a post-colonial prophetic illusion or utopian dream while others have depicted it as a purely Bantu philosophy not applicable to other tribes. Louw points out that the Ubuntu emphasizes that consensus in both the social and political spheres can all too often be side-tracked into an oppressive form of collectivism or communalism.
Schutte on the other hand, raises a philosophical point concerning the Ubuntu conception of individuality.
In the context of the foregoing depiction of Ubuntu, it can also be argued that the rejuvenation of Ubuntu philosophy to its original intent as claimed by African proponents such as Tutu (1999), Mandela (1994) and Mbiti (1976), is a complex process that requires rigorous hypnotization of modernism in our communities.
Contrary to this, the African Renaissance thesis of Ramose (1999) and Tutu (1999:22) had this to say about the authenticity of Ubuntu philosophy not only to Africa but to the whole world:
Africans have this thing called Ubuntu, the essence of being human. It is part of the gift that Africans will give the world. It embraces hospitality, caring about others, willing to go the extra mile for the sake of others. We believe a person is a person through another person that my humanity is caught up, bound up and inextricable in yours. When I dehumanize you I inexorably dehumanize myself. The solitary individual is a contradiction in terms and, therefore, you seek to work for the common good because your humanity comes into its own community, in belonging.
Ramose (1999), Canda (2007) and Tutu (1999) reiterate that Ubuntu is not merely limited to Africa’s socio-economic and political sphere but rather the global influence of Ubuntu just like bildung and the Confucian tradition in Europe and Asia respectively. Hence the weaknesses of Ubuntu on its own as a philosophy may be more visible than when it has been integrated and recognized equally with other philosophies. Weredu (1996) argues that philosophical thinking is exemplified not in the mere recording of traditions and cultures (the pre-occupation of influential African ethno-philosophers) but in the reconstruction of contemporary African culture. Thus, in his view, Weredu (1996) observes that the main thrust of philosophical thinking is an attempt to appraise African philosophical ideas through due reflection and self-criticism to the universal level and then turn to specific
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existential conditions and priorities of Africa’s socio-economic and political context combined in search of truth.
Lutz (2008) argues that understanding business organization as community has a lot of potential challenges such as nepotism, corruption and tribalism. He further argues that Ubuntu has the potential of putting one’s own ethnic group before the other. Tribalism is ethically equivalent to racism; it denies others their due because they differ from traditions, culture and moral background. That is why in Africa most of the civil wars are fuelled by tribal differences. Examples include the Shona and Ndebele war in the early 1980s in Zimbabwe (Bratton & Masungure, 2011) and the Tutsi and Hutu tribal conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the late 1990s. The other dark side of Ubuntu, according to Hofstede (2011), lies in its traditional aspect of large power distance between the leaders and the subordinates in the society that polarizes the voice of the grassroots and subjects people to autocratic leadership. Similarly, comparing Ubuntu and Confucianism, Chimhanzi (2010:5) decries that Ubuntu philosophy is more rhetoric than practice, and argues that:
The African leadership/fellowship relationship is characterized by large power distance. There is an inherent tension between self-serving Big-Manism, which is removed from the people it purports to lead and the spirit of ubuntu. The two cannot co-exist. Thus, the outcome of the combination of large power distance and a lack of concern for others is a continent short on servant leadership - leaders who genuinely want to serve their people to a better future. It sometimes feels like a case of “I am because I am”, not
“I am because we are” as leaders continue to line their own pockets to the detriment of investments in social projects that would otherwise benefit those in society who are most vulnerable and in need. The very people they committed themselves to lead when they were voted in.
Whilst Ubuntu has weaknesses in as much as the Universalist demands of global philosophical features are concerned, this study is not a veneration of Ubuntu or African culture above its counterparts or vice versa, but rather seeks to critically examine both in view of integrating the compatible features for the sustainable livelihood of OVC in Zimbabwe. Since the underlying motives of the contemporary philosophies seek to identify solutions to the fundamental needs of the general population within the environmental context, Ubuntu philosophy as a theory for this
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study is therefore interfaced with the basic needs theory that highlights the socio-economic needs of OVC in Zimbabwe.
2.7 CONCLUSION
This chapter reviewed related literature and theories that underpin the study. The concept of community-based coping strategies, traditional coping strategies and Zunde ramambo were explained. The basic human needs theory was presented as the main theory informing this study. The global contemporary philosophies and contemporary African philosophies, which were perceived as complementary to the human needs theory, were discussed. The human needs theory was reviewed considering global contemporary philosophies which include phenomenology, existentialism, metabletics and hermeneutics. Similarly, contemporary African philosophies which include ethno-philosophy (Ubuntu), nationalistic ideological philosophy, sage philosophy and professional philosophy were reviewed in order to establish the extent to which these philosophies help to understand community-based OVC coping strategies in their endeavour to meet fundamental human needs.
Following that, the Ubuntu philosophy was closely compared with other existing contemporary traditions such as Confucianism in Asia and Platonic-Aristotelian philosophies of Europe. The reviewed literature showed that Ubuntu and Confucianism have more similarities than differences. The fundamental cultural values that underlie Ubuntu and Confucianism are congruent and both acutely contradict the Western philosophical model based on Plato and Aristotle. Whilst Ubuntu and Confucianism concur on collectivism, togetherness, and communitarian approach, Western philosophy is capitalistic and individualistic. It was also noted that Asian countries’ social security and administration is anchored in their indigenous philosophy and as a result managed to foster sustainable livelihoods for people.
While Asians philosophy is very similar to the African in terms of values, literature has shown that Africans, instead of implementing their bioethical and moral powers, have succumbed to Westernization and individualism. Thus, Africans are
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struggling to achieve sustainability in development programmes implemented at the local community level or at national level. The basic human needs theory clarified the dimensions of needs that are inherent in human beings, particularly the OVC within their respective societies. It was noted, however, that there should be a balance between the satisfiers of needs and the real needs for the strategies to be deemed effective and sustainable to its beneficiaries. In simple terms, the basic human needs envisage that what Ubuntu philosophy and contemporary philosophies intend to achieve in social welfare and security of OVC must be holistic and address all their basic needs.
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