An anthropologist studying the habits and customs of an African tribe found himself surrounded by children most days.<>
So he decided to play a little game with them.<>
He managed to get candy from the nearest town and put it all in a decorated basket at the foot of a tree.<>
Then he called the children and suggested they play the game.<>
When the anthropologist said “now”, the children had to run to the tree and the first one to get there could have all the candy to him/herself.<>
So the children all lined up waiting for the signal. <>
When the anthropologist said “now”, all of the children took each other by the hand ran together towards the tree.<>
They all arrived at the same time divided up the candy, sat down and began to happily munch away.<>
The anthropologist went over to them and asked why they had all run together when any one of them could have had the candy all to themselves.<>
The children responded:<>
“Ubuntu. How could any one of us be happy if all the others were sad?”<>
Ubuntu is a philosophy of African tribes that can be summed up as “I am what I am because of who we all are.”<>
Bishop Desmond Tutu gave this explanation in 2008 :<>
“One of the sayings in our country is Ubuntu – the essence of being human.<>
Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can’t exist as a human being in isolation.<>
It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can’t be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality –<>
Ubuntu – you are known for your generosity.<>
We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, <>
whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole World.<>
When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity.”<>
