KÜRESELLEŞME ÇAĞINDA GÜNEY AFRIKA’NIN UBUNTU RUHU

Year 2021, Volume: 1 Issue: 2, 69 - 79, 30.07.2021

Esma Karadağ

Abstract

Güney Afrika Cumhuriyeti ile özdeşleşmiş olan ubuntu ya da botho kavramı eski bir Afrika dünya görüşünü tanımlar. Temelinde sevgi, şefkat, saygı, paylaşma, birliktelik gibi değerleri barındıran ubuntu felsefesi farklı Afrika topluluklarının dillerinde farklı kelimelerle anılır. Yapılan çalışmalara göre kelime olarak ubuntu’nun 19. yüzyılın ikinci yarısı gibi nispeten yakın bir dönemde ilk defa kullanıldığını gösterse de, kelimenin sözlü kullanımının çok daha eskilere dayandığı tahmin edilir. Kavramsal olarak farklı dönemlerde farklı anlamlarda kullanıldığı düşünülen ubuntu kelimesi, günümüzde bazı kişilerce insanın ahlaki özelliklerini tanımlarken bu tanımdan yaklaşık bir asır sonra ortaya çıkan diğer bir tanımı ise toplumun birbirine bağlılığını ifade eder. Bu yönüyle kavram günümüzde, bir Nguni atasözü olan umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, yani “kişi diğer kişiler aracılığıyla bir kişidir” prensibiyle iç içe geçmiştir. Ubuntu, Afrika’yı dünyaya tanımlama ve kıtayı dünyaya kendi öz değerleriyle anlatarak hiçbir dış baskı altında kalmadan oluşmuş olabilecek, yani doğal bir Afrika algısına ulaşabilme girişiminin bir parçasıdır. Diğer taraftan Afrikalıların yeni bir dünya vizyonu oluşturma girişiminde önemli bir araç olarak görülür. Bu yönüyle, Afrikalı bakış açısının temele aldığı ubuntu felsefesinin siyasi, sosyal ve eğitim gibi alanlarda kullanılması akademik çevrelerce oldukça tartışılmaktadır. Güney Afrika’nın iç ve dış siyasetini belirleyen temel yapı taşlarından biri olması yönüyle ubuntu ve önerdiği kardeşlik, sevgi ve şefkat gibi değerler, yeni ulus inşası hedefleri ve ülkedeki artan yabancı düşmanlığının önüne geçmek için uygulanmaya çalışılmaktadır. Öğretileri itibariyle ubuntu felsefesinin ve diğer Afrika kültürlerindeki varyasyonlarının başta Afrika kıtası olmak üzere dünya barışına katkı sunacağı savunulur. Bunun yanında, Afrika kıtasının sosyo-ekonomik birleşmesini ifade eden Pan-Afrikanizm idealinin gerçekleştirilmesi için ubuntu’yu referans alan noktadan hareket edilebileceği iddia edilir.

Keywords

Ubuntu, Botho, Afrika Merkezli Bakış Açısı, Komünalizm, Pan-Afrikanizm, Zenofobi, Hakikat ve Uzlaşma Komisyonu (HUK), Afrika Çalışmaları

SOUTH AFRICA’S UBUNTU SPIRIT IN THE AGE OF GLOBALISATION

Abstract

The concept of ubuntu or botho, which is commonly used in South Africa, defines an ancient African worldview. The philosophy of ubuntu, which includes values such as love, affection, respect, sharing, and togetherness, is mentioned with different words in the languages of different African communities. Although studies show that the word ‘ubuntu’ was first used for the first time in a relatively recent period, the second half of the 19th century, the philosophy is estimated to be much older. Conceptually, the word ubuntu, which is thought to possess different meanings in different periods, defines the moral characteristics of human beings. Another definition that emerged about a century after this, expresses the interdependence of society. In this respect, the concept is now intertwined with the principle of umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, which is a Nguni proverb; “a person is a person through other persons”. Ubuntu is part of an attempt to define Africa to the world and to reach a natural perception of Africa, which could have been formed without any external pressure by explaining the continent to the world through its own values. On the other hand, it is regarded as an important tool to create a new world vision for Africans. In this respect, the use of ubuntu philosophy, which is based on an Afrocentric perspective, in areas such as politics, education, and greater society is highly debated by academic circles. As it is one of the basic building blocks of South Africa’s domestic and foreign policy, ubuntu and its values such as brotherhood, love, and affection are applied in an attempt for new nation-building goals and to prevent the increasing xenophobia in the country. It is argued that ubuntu philosophy and its variations in other African cultures in terms of its teachings will contribute to world peace, especially in the African continent. In addition, it is maintained that, by realising the Pan-Africanist ideal as socio-economic unification of the African continent, ubuntu could be taken as a reference point.

Keywords

Ubuntu, Botho, Afrocentrism, Communalism, Pan-Africanism, Xenophobia, Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), African Studies

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