An Overview of the Contending Narratives of Individualistic Rights and Communitarian Moralism in Ubuntu 

The theory of Ubuntu is regarded as one of the regional flagships of Southern Africa in terms of social science theories. The theory has been praised and criticised for allegedly being too communitarian and for paying little, if any, attention to individual rights, respectively. On the one hand, Africanists view this as a strength of African morality, while on the other hand, pro-individual rights scholars view the theory as a disenfranchisement of the individual in favour of the community. This latter argument therefore justifies the Eurocentric view that African cultures are archaic, only applicable for small communities and are, hence, not compatible with current globalisation and industrialised world trends. This paper argues that both views are incorrect. It avers that Ubuntu is a theory that balances individual and community rights in the human/societal ecology. It makes the counter-argument that Ubuntu has never been a negation of the individual but a moral concept which centres on individual rights that pay respect to the rights of the next individual. The paper notes that the practical elements of Ubuntu are pervasive even in western societies, which are arguably the cradle of individualism and are still called so in contemporary nations and states to this day. The paper uses the Ubuntu theory to draw a balance between the rights of the individual and those of the community, showing that there is no negation but rather a balance between the groups of rights. The paper uses extensive document analysis as a method of research.