Ubuntu

A Philosophy for Systems Transformation

Abstract

The In Dialogue piece in this issue, brings together Megan Seneque Aggie Kalungu-Banda, Martin Kalungu-Banda and Sharon Munyaka, to explore how different knowledge systems, including science, can be brought into conversation in an effort to democratize knowledge and support transformative societal change. The vehicle for this exploration is the philosophy and practice of Ubuntu, and how this is being brought to life across the African continent in the context of the Ubuntu.Lab and the Ubuntu Institute. The conversants delve into what it might mean, and what it looks like in practice, to have a distinct (African) identity that lies within the context of local cultural and spiritual traditions and indigenous knowledges, while also actively participating in and contributing to the global community and movement of the Presencing Institute. This exploration reveals both the complexities and the generative potential of weaving different wisdom traditions and knowledge systems, in the interests of creating a future for the continent from which the rest of the world might learn.