UBUNTU PHILOSOPHY AS AN ARCHETYPE IN RESOLVING CONFLICT IN 21ST CENTURY AFRICA

A person is a person through other persons. None of us comes into the world fully formed. We would not know how to think, or walk, or speak, or behave as human beings unless we learned it from other human beings. We need other human beings in order to be human (Tutu, 2004:25). The above quotation is both key and foundational to the understanding of Ubuntu Philosophy. Ubuntu's theoretical foundation is our belief in and realization of our common humanity; our sense of, or perception of belonging to the entire human family. This is linked to peace because it tries to promote humane, compassionate, and productive interactions and interrelationships amongst people by implementing guiding ideals like cooperation, communication, and compassion. Ubuntu is the notion that a human being is a complete person only to the extent that society recognizes him or her as such and allows him or her to achieve the full potential and advantages of being human. These qualities are important and valued because they enable people to live productive, peaceful, and purposeful lives (Ujomu and Bature 2019: 12).

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