It speaks about our interconnectedness. Desmond Tutu — ‘Ubuntu [...] speaks of the very essence of being human.
These words of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu describe an ideal for life in community. It speaks of the fact that my humanity is caught up and is inextricably bound up in yours. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can't exist as a human being in isolation. What is Ubuntu? The South African Nobel Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu describes Ubuntu as: ‘It is the essence of being human. The understanding that our success is based on a shared humanity "I am because you are" A term that originates from the South African, Zulu and Xhosa languages, which was popularized by Nobel laureates Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela.


– Desmond Tutu, No Future Without Forgiveness. I am human because I belong. Then you are generous, you are hospit... [We] say [...] Hey, so-and-so has ubuntu. A person with Ubuntu is welcoming, hospitable, warm and … You can't be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality - Ubuntu - you are known for your generosity. It speaks about wholeness, it speaks about compassion.

[We] say [...] Hey, so-and-so has ubuntu. When we provide a safe space for one another, when we encourage one another, when we find space to collaborate – we create community, better yet – Ubuntu. As I struggled to find an adequate enough topic for my speech, I decided to see my assignment less as ‘homework’ and more as an opportunity (you know, the kind of … -Desmond Tutu, on the South African ideology of Ubuntu… The first time I had heard of Ubuntu, the South African concept of humanity, was while doing research for my first speech assignment as a freshman at IUPUI.