Ubuntu is an African philosophy, which describes the oneness of humanity. It translates into “I am because we are”. Nelson Mandela encouraged everyone to live by this philosophy. Ubuntu has so many meanings but it comes down to the fundamental values of being a good person.
I experience Ubuntu right here in Australia on a daily basis but the time that I felt really connected to my community was back in 2012.
We lived in Kununurra and that was the time the Horn of Africa was experiencing it’s worst drought in 50 years. After watching those images on Television, I knew I had to do something. I called a few of my friends and decided to have a bigger and better “Nkandu’s Cultural Night” to raise money for the kids in the camps. “Nkandu’s Cultural Night” started because of the isolation of living in Kununurra and a love of food in a remote area of Australia. The whole night in a nutshell is to celebrate cultural diversity by sharing food, dance and fun games while raising funds for charity.
I made a few phone calls, put up some flyers in different shops and a journalist from the local paper wrote about it.In no time, I had businesses donating items for auction, people putting there hands up for entertainment, two mums organizing a Kids Corner and a family organizing damper and billie tea for people to enjoy in a country setting with hay to sit on, overlooking the Ord river. Zebra Rock Art Gallery made their venue available for the event, the hospital did some of my printing materials. I had at least 30 individuals working towards this night to make it a reality.
I realized that this is Ubuntu at it’s best. All those little acts of kindness make a difference. You may not realize that however small your actions are, they have a massive impact on others. Everything that you do for others, you do it for yourself too, as we are all connected.
