The Aim of this study is to interpret and analyse what is considered to be professional responsibility within substance abuse treatment in the unique perspective of Ubuntu philosophy. The Method is of hermeneutic tradition, which is based upon qualitative research with five interviews. Result: Ubuntu philosophy can be seen as a perspective when interacting with clients, professionals and surrounding community. Ethical responsibility is by the professionals considered as a positive attitude, different approaches and respect for the profession, co-workers and clients. The Discussion enlightens the importance of education, ethical responsibilities and how the Ubuntu philosophy creates a holistic perspective in treatment. Conclusion: There will always be differences when working with people but the differences should not be considered as dilemmas more as challenges.

While the debate on the indigenous culture of ubuntu/botho in South Africa (SA) goes far back into the history as signified by Ngubane' s (1963 and 1979) works on the role of the ubuntu values in the anti-colonial and anti-apartheid struggle; in the last two decades or so, this debate has gathered even much greater momentum. This recent interest in ubuntu/botho culture could be attributed to the imminence of the collapse of apartheid in the late 1980s and the turn of the 1990s, and also the post-apartheid situation in which the SA society came to confront serious socio-economic and political challenges. Those challenges arose from the country's re-admission into the global world, which presented challenges associated with globalisation phenomenon such as the need to achieve economic competitiveness. They also were presented by the newly attained democratic dispensation along which dawned the urgent need to redress the apartheid-created injustices and to work earnestly towards the eradication of the past legacies such as racial inequalities and poverty while seeking to consolidate and jealously defend the still rather fragile democracy. Event much more recently, the debate came to form part of the current continent-wide sentiment that Africa should claim the twenty-first century and that all efforts should be channelled towards the renewal of Africa following the destructions and distortions caused by colonialism. Central to this debate in SA is the widely held belief and claim that the ubuntu/botho cultural values could be mobilised into developmental and transformative force. In particular, a strong claim is made that for SA to achieve competitive advantage in global markets, its development strategies should tap into the values of the ubuntu/botho culture. While few cases are cited as success stories indicative of ubuntu values positive influence on business management strategies in the workplace, often with the assistance of private consultants, these remain isolated and no any serious follow-up studies were conduced in order to assess the sustainability of such interventions. Thus, what is essentially missing in this debate, is a comprehensive indepth, empirically-based study aimed at not only assessing the validity of these widely held claims, but also at examining the objective conditions under which the ubuntu/botho cultural values can help in realising this role. Also critical and missing is the need to possibilities/opportunities and potential constraints to ubuntu/botho culture's ability to fulfil this role. Often these debates lack any serious theoretical basis or comparative references on which to justify their claims. Further, there is seldom any attempt to locate the debate on ubuntu/botho culture in the wider context of the debate and research in the African continent around questions of traditional cultures, thought systems and development and progress. While the present study approaches this debate in such a way that the gaps highlighted addressed through extensive review of literature, it however takes it even further by giving it an empirical content through an in-depth case study of one South African workplace as an illustrative example. This empirically-based approach, coupled with extensive and critical review of the relevant literature, helped to take the debate on ubuntu/botho culture beyond rhetoric which characterises the current dominant thinking within the debate. I argue, on the basis of my overall findings that while evidence gathered supports the case for the need to explore with the ubuntu/botho culture in the economic and business sphere, and in particular at the workplace level, some serious obstacles would and do stand in the way of realising the potentially transformative and developmental role of the culture's values. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.

This bachelor thesis will explore the possibilities in which game creators will be able to expand and enlarge their digital world and give the players the illusion that there is more to it than just the realm of the playable main character. This will be done through the usage of rhizomatic connections, ubuntu philosophy, multiple stories, and mystique. We hope that these keywords will hold the key to making a more interesting world for video games in which the world will seem wide, exiting and with a rich history similar to how the real world appears. We live life as one character but we know that there is more to the world than just ourselves and the environment we live our daily lives in. / Detta kandidatarbete kommer att utforska möjligheter till hur spelskapare ska kunna göra för att expandera, utveckla, och förstora sina digitala världar för att ge spelarna en illusion av att det finns mer till den digitala världen än endast huvudkaraktären och den del av världen där spelets historia utspelar sig. Vi vill utforska detta genom rhizomatiska kopplingar, ubuntu filosofi, multipla historier, och mystik. Vi hoppas på att dessa nyckelord ska erhålla nyckeln till att skapa mer intressanta världar för videospel där världen verkar vid och spännande, samt tronar på en rik och händelsefull historia likt hur vi ser den verkliga fysiska världen. Vi lever som en karaktär, ofta i en liten del av världen men vi vet att det finns mer där ute än endast våra egna liv och de platser där detta liv utspelar sig.

This thesis explores the role of context-specific peace education initiatives in promoting social cohesion in the Western Cape, South Africa, with an emphasis on drawing lessons from the philosophy of Ubuntu. Against the backdrop of South Africa's colonial, apartheid and post-apartheid historical and social significance, including issues of social cohesion, the study addresses the country's complex socio-political dynamics and ongoing challenges in fostering unity and inclusivity. By applying the Social Capital Theory, which highlights the importance of social networks, trust, reciprocity, shared norms and values, as well as collective action in achieving shared goals and cooperation, this study explores how context-specific peace education initiatives can be customized to local contexts and their potential to promote positive social change. With a focus on the Western Cape province, characterised by high levels of violence and socio-economic disparities, this research delves into peace education initiatives to comprehend their adaptation to local circumstances and their capacity to drive constructive social transformation. The findings underscore the significance of relationships, social networks, and individuals with strong social capital in building positive peace and fostering social cohesion. Creating inclusive spaces for dialogue through storytelling, art, music, and other means emerges as a key finding. These spaces provide opportunities for people to come together, share their experiences, and engage in difficult conversations. The research also emphasizes the role of young people and their active engagement in civic participation as crucial for the success of peace education initiatives. By valuing and incorporating local wisdom, traditions, and practices such as Ubuntu, peace education initiatives can better address the specific needs and challenges of the Western Cape. The study recommends further research on the integration of gender-sensitive and intersectional approaches. Understanding and addressing gender-related factors are essential for promoting inclusivity and equality within peace education programs.

South Africa as a country faces stark socio-economic development challenges, such as extreme levels of inequality and unemployment, and specifically youth unemployment. To assist with addressing some of these challenges associated with the history of apartheid, the South African government instituted Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE). One of the instruments to implement B-BBEE is Corporate Social Investment (CSI). CSI refers to projects that companies undertake that goes beyond their primary profit motive, to assist and empower disadvantaged individuals and communities. A number of CSI projects in South Africa has an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) focus, where companies spend their CSI budget to contribute to, among other things, ICT skills development. Research has revealed that these types of projects are often short-lived, and at times unsustainable. As a result, communities are not necessarily benefiting from such projects. The objective of this research is to analyse the impact of South African CSI projects with an ICT focus on poor urban communities. The study is further limited in scope to CSI ICT initiatives aimed at supporting disadvantaged youth. The study followed a qualitative research approach. Four case studies were performed in poor urban communities in Soweto, all four of them CSI initiatives that were aimed at providing ICT support to disadvantaged youth. A systems framework was developed using literature as a foundation from which to analyse the cases. The systems framework is primarily based on Checkland’s soft systems methodology, which facilitates an inquiry into the problem situation and context. The Ubuntu philosophy, which emphasises the belief systems in which people and communities reflect their experiences in a day-to-day life, further supports the framework. Lastly, autopoiesis was employed as part of the framework, as it describes the self-production and sustainability of the system of interest. The study sought to gather qualitative data to understand the problem situation and use as a basis for analysis. Through an iterative process, data was collected from interviews, focus groups, documentation, and observations at four learning centres in Soweto. The collected data pertained to the implementation of CSI ICT projects by learning centres between 2002 – 2016. The case studies were analysed by applying the social systems framework, which was based on SSM, Ubuntu philosophy, and autopoiesis concepts. The findings of the study indicate that companies derived some form of benefit for contributing to CSI in poor communities. These benefits included having a local presence, achieving a better B-BBEE rating that enables them to do business with the government, and to retain or attract new business. In addition, the communities and their members benefited from the CSI ICT projects; this demonstrated an essential element of Ubuntu, namely, that collectively everyone could benefit. The CSI ICT projects had a positive impact on the socio-economic situation of the communities. It contributed to the employability of the unemployed youth, as they were trained in ICT skills. The school children used ICT to do their schoolwork and for ICT training. In addition, the learning centres proved to be self-reproducing and selfmaintaining, and therefore sustainable. The contributions of the study include a systems framework and guiding principles that companies, systems thinkers, and ICT4D practitioners could use to assess the sustainability and the impact of similar projects that are geared towards achieving socio-economic development in poor urban communities. Further, the research findings were used to refine the theoretical framework to analyse the impact of CSI ICT projects in poor urban communities in South Africa. / Thesis (PhD (Information Technology))--University of Pretoria, 2021. / Informatics / PhD (Information Technology) / Unrestricted

In this thesis I consider ubuntu as a metonym for the particularly African features of South African philosophy. Given that Mbembe critiques African philosophy in general as having failed because it has been subsumed under two unreflective political movements in African thought, I consider whether or not the concept of ubuntu escapes his critique. After developing criteria for measuring the success of any philosophical concept, I conclude that ubuntu is unsuccessful. I then identify the political constraints placed on ubuntu that lead to its failure. These constraints arise from having to validate Africa as a place of intellectual worth. Considering the role of place in these constraints, I argue that a far more productive approach to ubuntu (and South African philosophy in general) is to explicitly incorporate this place into our philosophical project. I use the conceptual framework developed by Bruce Janz to provide a systematic account of place that can be used in formulating South African philosophy. I add to Janz, arguing that philosophy is a response to a particular feature of place: the mystery. By incorporating place into ubuntu, I am able to start developing a philosophical concept which can fulfil the political constraints placed on ubuntu without sacrificing its philosophical integrity. I suggest that ubuntu remains an interesting concept primarily because it promises to respond to the fragmentation of the South African place. I conclude by arguing that ubuntu should be used as the basis for a civic religion which responds to the fragmentation of the South African place. This civic religion will give rise to a significantly distinct philosophical tradition which should not succumb to Mbembe’s critique.

Embodied pedagogy is a way of facilitating lessons which use the body as a locos of learning. Through a practice of storytelling, reflection, and imagination, embodied pedagogy evokes enactment and a release of emotions. This qualitative narrative study created multimodal portraits of embodied educators in the Newark Board of Education using the lens of Native Science and Ubuntu as epistemological frameworks. Using portraiture methodology, the lives of embodied educators were documented and reported in multimodal ways. The study is divided into three phases representing Ubuntu’s ontotriadic structure. The African philosophy of Ubuntu (“I am because you are”) centers community and recognizes the harmonious flow of life through three stages of existence (living dead—ancestors, living, yet to be born) and sees life as continuous motion. The three primary participants mirrored these three phases. The living dead was an ancestor, a deceased educator, and a dancer. The living is a current Newark teacher, and the yet-to-be-born is a preservice teacher (to be licensed). Their portraits were supported by interviews with secondary participants (colleagues, administrators, former students, cooperating teachers, family, and friends). Data were collected through interviews and observations. Portraiture methodology combines art and science to blend empiricism and aestheticism; the audience responds by being pulled into the narrative to experience the story as it unfolds. The portraits in this study function as art by exploring the physical context of the setting and illuminating the relationship between the researcher and participants. Each portrait is a beautiful, evocative, deep, compelling story of what is good and shines light on those aspects rather than on what is wrong and trying to right those wrongs. To actualize a full embodied experience, data analysis, and reporting included letter writing, poetry, visual art, movement phrases, song composition, and spoken word. The findings revealed the power of these collective stories, revealed through six themes and lessons learned that inform urban teacher preparation programs. The narratives demonstrate the importance of supporting students in their journey of becoming and recognizing the humanity in teachers and students.

Thesis (MPhil (Philosophy))--University of Stellenbosch, 2008. / As poverty continues to impact billions of people across the world – to the extent that millions die daily simply because they are too poor to live – there is a pressing ethical question to ask: Who, if anyone, should be taking moral responsibility to end extreme poverty? The key moral problem that my thesis addresses is that those individuals who should primarily be taking moral responsibility to eradicate extreme poverty because they have the power and thus responsibility to make a real difference are not. My contention is that capitalism as it is currently practiced perpetuates extreme poverty and that the very individuals who have the greatest power to eradicate poverty do not view this as a real ethical challenge nor as their primary responsibility to address. I argue that these individuals are global corporate business leaders and that extreme poverty will only be eradicated when these leaders take moral responsibility to apply capitalism in a far more sustainable way - a way that has continuity for future generations and that is fundamentally just towards all human beings. The practice of sustainable capitalism as a solution to extreme poverty is dependent on a ‘critical mass’ of business leaders acting in a way that displays virtuous moral character and sets the example for others to follow. I will assume as a starting point that global poverty does exist and that people dying of poverty when others have far in excess of their needs cannot be ethically justified, irrespective of which moral theory it is viewed from. My thesis will commence by assessing the virtue of virtue ethics theory in comparison to other moral theories and I will illustrate that virtue ethics theory is most appropriate in addressing the moral problem of extreme poverty because it places moral responsibility firmly on the individual human being rather than on any metaphysical principle or context that exists ‘above’ the individual. In my analysis of the relationship between virtue and justice, I will specifically argue that capitalism as it is currently being practiced is unjust and unsustainable. I will further argue that it does not represent Aristotle’s ideal of ‘the good life’ for all and that the outdated modernist principles on which capitalism is currently premised, need to be challenged. Since global corporate business leaders are both the architects of capitalism as we currently experience it and the greatest beneficiaries of it, they have the corresponding greatest moral responsibility to act to eradicate extreme poverty. Business leaders need to take primary moral responsibility to eradicate extreme poverty through practicing a more just and sustainable form of capitalism that is inclusive of all, balancing society and profit needs. In closing I will propose that the African humanist concept of ‘ubuntu’ provides a unique opportunity in South Africa to inform an ethical consciousness that could underpin a future sustainable capitalist approach and perhaps serve as an example to influence global corporate business leaders.

The main purpose of our study was to gain a deeper understanding of how culture influences the interpretation of ethical leadership by both leaders and followers in Zambia and Sweden. The study was conducted using an interpretative narrative inquiry with a small sample of ten participants (i.e. leaders and followers) selected using a purposive sampling method. The participants were drawn from six small and medium local authorities in Sweden (three medium size Kommuns) and Zambia (Two municipalities and one District Council). The empirical data was collected using semi-structured interview guides with interview sessions lasting 45 minutes on average. The data collected was transcribed and analyzed using narrative and thematic analysis. Based on this analysis, we came up with four main themes regarding the interpretation of ethical leadership by leaders and followers, and these are: Morality, Law, Humanity and Nature which constitute our Culture-Ethical Leadership interpretation model.   The empirical narratives demonstrated some similarities in the interpretation of ethical leadership between leaders and followers in Sweden and Zambia. The leaders and followers from both countries affiliated ethical leadership to morality, humanity, adherence to the law, and, caring and protecting nature. Our research also led us to conclude that there is a degree of variance in the interpretation of ethical leadership which relates to the differences in the cultural contexts. In Zambia, leaders and followers show high inclination to the law as being ethical which is reflected in Bello (2012)’s statement that failure to follow rules and regulations is a manifestation of unethical leadership while in Sweden, leaders and followers are inclined to high morality and humanity influenced by high levels of trust as narrated by our participants from Sweden. / <p>Alumbwe leza!</p>

This qualitative arts-based narrative inquiry explored and analyzed the experiences of five Black women dance educators who teach with micro-interventions of care, love, and mentorship toward racial uplift in Black youth. This inquiry’s data collection included participants’ journal entries, sent weekly via email; one-on-one, semi-structured interviews with the women; and roundtable sista’ circles convened within community dialogues. Participants were prompted to share stories of their lived experiences as community members, artists, educators, and scholars. The collected data was analyzed using thematic and narrative methods, beginning with deductive coding and continuing with chunked comparisons of the women’s narratives. This study’s findings revealed that the women’s narratives as educators, persons, and community leaders, centered Blackness, care and love for themselves and their community, and Afrofuturity extant in their dance education practices. The narratives themselves revealed anecdotes of community, artistry, spirituality, culture, and healing, told and retold in the form of storytelling and poetry. This study sheds light on the unique experiences and perspectives of Black women dance educators, highlighting the importance of their contributions to the field. This study also proposes future considerations for research and practice in unearthing more stories of dance education as a micro-intervention of care, love, and mentorship toward racial uplift in Black youth. The inquiry and its results hold ramifications for and suggest a new vision for Black youth as well as educators that is a joyful Afrofuturistic dance education praxis rooted in peace, love, harmony, and #JOY.