Experiences of Ubuntu and Implications of African philosophy for social work in Australia

Abstract

Indigenous knowledges come in many ways and they are contained in diverse philosophies.

Africa’s overaching philosophy that shapes its knowledges, values, practices, approaches,

methodologies and perspectives is Ubuntu. Put simply, Ubuntu is about seeing the individual

through their family, community, environment and spirituality. Ubuntu has no specific place

or date of origin but is expected to have originated in west-central and northern parts of Africa

and spread throughout the continent through migration that started 4,000 years ago. It is

found in all communities of Black people in Africa. Literature on Ubuntu first appeared in

the 1960s but it is more recently that the philosophy has gained prominence in social work.

In this article authors used an autoethnographic approach to share their lived experiences of

Ubuntu. By doing this, we are hoping to add to available literature and to provide a nuanced

understanding of the philosophy. The philosophy of Ubuntu will be introduced first and

narratives of each author’s lived experiences in Africa and Australia will be provided followed

by a combined reflection. The reflection focuses on use of Ubuntu among Black African

families in Australia and the issues emanating from preserving these values in a foreign

environment. The discussion will then turn to implications for practice where authors share

their insights into what needs to change to make Australian social work more meaningful to

Black people of African origin in Australia and how Ubuntu could impact social work practice

more generally.