Ubuntu in Namibia and Kenya: How Emerging Adults Live an Essential African Value Today
Julia S Rotzinger1, Lene Arnett Jensen2, Amber Gayle Thalmayer1
1University of Zurich, Switzerland.
Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology
|March 14, 2025
Summary
Emerging adults in Namibia and Kenya strongly identify with and practice Ubuntu values, emphasizing community connection and tradition. However, they also seek personal autonomy in education and spirituality amidst globalization.
Area of Science:
- Cross-cultural psychology
- Cultural-developmental psychology
- African psychology
Background:
- Psychology in Africa often uses Euro-American theories, which may not fit local cultures.
- Ubuntu, a core African philosophy valuing community, is largely theoretical with limited empirical data on contemporary relevance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the lived experiences of Ubuntu among emerging adults in sub-Saharan Africa.
- To empirically investigate how Ubuntu values shape contemporary worldviews and behaviors.
Main Methods:
- An interview study with 23 Namibian and Kenyan emerging adults (ages 18-20).
- Utilized a cultural-developmental psychology approach and reflexive thematic analysis.
Main Results:
- Four themes emerged: interconnectedness, collective efficacy, tradition transmission, and community costs (freeloaders, restrictions).
- Participants strongly identified with and practiced Ubuntu, integrating traditional and global influences.
- Emerging adults expressed a desire for greater autonomy in education and spirituality.
Conclusions:
- Findings empirically support Ubuntu's significance for contemporary African emerging adults.
- This study highlights the lived experience of Ubuntu, bridging theory and practice.
- Results call for integrating Ubuntu into cross-cultural psychology research and practice.
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