Emily B on the Role of Community in South African Society

As my time in Cape Town approaches three weeks, I have begun to become familiar with the area and have started to notice some very interesting social dynamics. One of the most obvious dynamics I’ve seen is the role of community is fundamental to South African society. This comes into play with the cultural term “ubuntu” which means, “I am because we are” which permeates all aspects of society. This ranges from people stopping to give directions, to inviting virtual strangers (aka me) to braais. As an American this can be a bit disarming as well as comfortingly familiar. I often hear people refer to one another as brother or sister as a sign of respect and acknowledging that though they may not be biologically siblings they are related in the sense of general humanity, Ubuntu.

I first noticed the importance of community a few Sundays ago while at a Baptist church in a township called Gugulethu. The church was incredibly hot and packed with a few men but mostly women and children. Although I’ve never been to a church before and have nothing to compare it to, the choir was one of the most beautiful things I’ve heard in quiet a while. I noticed that everyone seemed to be close both metaphorically and physically. People were sitting squeezed in but more than that there was a sense of community that was abundantly clear. Everyone smiled and greeted people walking in, and babies wandered around the church being passed from one person to the next making it virtually undetectable who his or her parent was. The overwhelming sense of community hit me as I was standing listening to the choir sing in Xhosa. I began to think of my own community at home and how much it meant to me to be surrounded my people whom I loved and loved me. I realized that the link of Ubuntu not only connects the people of South Africa but us all.

Being so far away from home I have begun to miss my own community but everyone has bonded together to form our own community and embody the South African philosophy of ubuntu.

Our group gathered together in the spirit of community following 
a morning spent with Lucy Campbell of Transcending History Tours 
learning the history of slavery in the Western Cape.