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This paper explores how Ubuntu, a spiritual, philosophical, and cultural term rooted in many
African societies, provides insight into understanding our fundamental human relations in terms
of diversity, equity, and inclusivity as humans and with nature. The concept of Ubuntu
encompasses rich humane values grounded in indigenous African wisdom. The core tenet of
Ubuntu is captured in the proverb, umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, - a person is a person through
other persons, or a person is made a person by other persons, which translates as: “I am because
we are; since we are, therefore, I am” (Mbiti, 1969). This has other versions like: I exist because
we exist; since we exist, therefore I exist. The key idea is about the importance of the presence of
others - people, things - in your life being of great benefit. This underscores the importance of
recognizing the humanity in everyone and valuing each individual's unique contributions to the
collective well-being.
Despite the widespread use and application of the Ubuntu concept in recent scholarship, there
has been little connection made between Ubuntu and the trending values of DEI as well as work
for promoting DEI in contemporary society. Hence, in this paper, we seek to explore meaningful
ways that Ubuntu can be used to understand the nature of DEI work and its implications for
streamlining and deepening it, specifically in the current debates surrounding human and nature
relations. We delve into the existing literature regarding DEI work and Ubuntu to summarize and
distill the key aspects of the epistemology, values, and philosophies and align them to the issues
that yearn for deeper analysis framed on fundamental beliefs and practices. We found that unlike
traditional DEI values, which ground themselves on the representation of isolated labels and
marks of gender and racial identities, Ubuntu emphasizes the oneness of humanity through
emphasis on the person and personhood, where the differences and boundaries across individuals
are harmonized or even erased. This aspect even extends to the “personhood” of things, strongly
believed to have spirits, which become the common bond between humans and other creatures in
nature.
In Ubuntu philosophy, uUnder the banner of collective community, the relationship between
humans is not described by competition and conflict over resources across different identity
groups. Rather, all individuals are guided by a simple and unified goal of serving the shared
property and the well-being of the whole community. The things which constitute the resources
themselves are supposed to be revered for their intrinsic value, for they have spirits. The
perspective of Ubuntu essentially prompts the understanding of DEI to shift away from endless
opposition across social groups re-balancing social interest and moving toward a value of
wholeness that reconnects the divergences of humans as social beings. This isn’t to say that DEI
work needs to be racial or color-blind. Instead, it argues that cultivating a genuine culture and
climate where individuals truly embrace the values of equity and wholeness is essential to the
DEI transformation in any organization and society. Essentially at its depth, Ubuntu offers a
basis for seeing aspects of wholeness and commonality rather than emphasizing differences that
exist at the immediate levels of color, gender, ethnicity, humanity, and nature. It sees a world,
society, and existence that is rooted and bound in spirituality. Thus attempting to answer the
question of: what is the ultimate origin of things?