Meaning of ubuntu

[list at ubuntuforums.org]

>From Archbishop Desmond Tutu:
[url]http://crawfurd.dk/africa/desmondtutu.htm[/url]
“Ubuntu is word we have in South Africa. It means…. Ubuntu! There is no English word for it.” Happily he doesn’t give up, but explains the meaning: You are only a human through other humans …through your relations to other humans. The term is about caring for each other and being in harmony and Desmond Tutu has often used it when describing his visions and theology. Tutu doesn't make a difference between Christians, Jews or Muslims and he doesn’t condemn homosexuals as many other leaders and preachers on the African continent. “We are all one human race. We are all God’s children”.

here's another
[url]http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/07/12/the_ubuntu_of_globalization/[/url]
It is a shortened version of a South African saying that comes from the Xhosa culture: "Umuntu ngumuntu ngamuntu." This means that I am a person through other people. It means that my humanity is tied to yours.