Ubuntu: How an Ancient African Concept Can Help Human Flourishing

Washingtonians increasingly struggle with multilayered modern wounds—loneliness, alienation, depression, anxiety, and more. How can we address these concerns?

Gonzaga professor Itohan M. Idumwonyi invites us to explore Ubuntu. Ubuntu emphasizes community building, a way to reapproach our relationships so we can break the artificial borders that separate us and look out for one another. Directing one’s own humanity to others helps us navigate beyond superficial solutions to rethink, adapt, and foster human interconnectedness. 

Why should Washingtonians care about Ubuntu? This value of neighborliness enables healing and human flourishing for the good of all us. Idumwonyi uses a work-along session to connect and inspire people to draw from Ubuntu as a call to action to bring about a more humane world. 

This program is made possible with support from Humanities Washington.