Ubuntu and the TRC as a Response

The Western model has brought both wealth and poverty. We certainly don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater but we do want to learn from other cultures. What do they have to offer that we may be missing? And what can I, as a leader, learn from that?

We go in search of the roots of community building in Southern Africa not because everything there is perfect, but because we expect to find mechanisms and ways of relating that challenge our thinking.

How could Nelson Mandela, after 27 years in prison, decide to establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission? What mindset lies behind such a decision?

“I am because we are.
We are because the planet is.”

The world is on fire. Polarisation is on the rise also in the Netherlands. The emancipation of various groups increasingly leads to segregation rather than connection. The flags waved today are increasingly colorful, while at the same time a conservative wind sweeping across Europe, turning flags upside down in protest against the so-called elite.

Some philosophers describe this as a narcissistic society. Qualities once considered vices such as pride, greed, and gluttony are now often promoted via social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Individualism must be continuously displayed and celebrated. As a result, deep loneliness is spreading. Many young people are losing the ability to connect. Social anxiety is growing.

In response, the call for connection is getting louder. But the ability to truly connect with the "other," the unfamiliar, seems to be lacking. We are facing a spiritual and emotional crisis.

That’s why we set out to discover the sources of Ubuntu.
The core themes of this journey are:
Confrontation, Inspiration, Reflection, and Transition.

• Confrontation – Because we visit both the bustling metropolis of Johannesburg and the quiet rural landscape of Lesotho. How does Ubuntu live on in these vastly different environments?

• Inspiration – We speak with executives and employees of a company that faced a major labor conflict. How was it resolved through Ubuntu? We also talk to students and young people in Lesotho about their vision of their country’s future and how Ubuntu exists within them.

• Reflection – We process what we see, hear, and experience through reflective assignments. How do these encounters speak to us personally? What can we learn?

• Transition – How do we apply our discoveries to our own professional lives? What does it mean for how we lead our teams and connect with others?