The Lessons of Ubuntu: How an African Philosophy Can Inspire Racial Healing in America

by Mark Mathabane Narrated by JD Jackson

Overview

Mark Mathabane touched the hearts of millions with his sensational memoir, Kaffir Boy. A book highly-praised by Oprah and President Clinton for inspiring hope, Kaffir Boy described the effects of South Africa's system of legalized racism and oppression on black lives in vivid prose. The book won the prestigious Christopher Award, was a finalist for the Robert F. Kennedy award, rose to #3 on The New York Times bestsellers list, and to #1 on the Washington Post list. It is required reading in schools across the country. In his latest book The Language of Ubuntu, Mathabane uses his experiences with race in both South Africa and in America, where he has lived for the past thirty-seven years, to provide a fresh, timely, and provocative approach to the search for solutions to this country's number one and most intractable social problem.

Mathabane argues that the reason many Americans are turned off by the current divisive racial dialogue is because the discussion has mostly been about the politics of race and avoids the elephant in the room-what each of us can do to become agents for racial healing. His solution is for people to learn to speak the language of Ubuntu, a Zulu word for common humanity. Mathabane shows how Nelson Mandela used such language to rally blacks and whites to abolish apartheid peacefully; and how Dr. King did the same thing for African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement in the battle to eradicate Jim Crow.

With race dominating the news during the 2016 Presidential election, in the wake of the killing of black men by the police, and growing protests on college and university campuses, Mathabane challenges both blacks and whites to use the language of Ubuntu to overcome the stereotypes, half-truths, misconceptions, and mistaken beliefs they have of each other so they can connect as human beings to achieve racial healing. Without this human connection, Mathabane argues, the racial divide will only get worse and make lasting solutions virtually impossible.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

01/01/2018
South Africa–born Mathabane (Kaffir Boy) examines race relations in the United States through the lens of racial healing principles employed in Mandela’s postapartheid South Africa in this fervent plea for a better future. He espouses the philosophy of ubuntu, a renewed commitment to common humanity, empathy, forgiveness, and love, for American culture and politics. Using his own story as a backdrop, Mathabane highlights commonalities between the South African and American experiences, discussing obstacles faced in both societies. He connects the hatred he felt for South African ghetto police to that felt by rioters after the Rodney King case. More provocatively, he recalls forced segregation and the “pass books” (akin to internal passports) required for blacks to enter into white-only areas, and aligns these experiences with the self-segregation of “safe spaces” on American campuses, saying the latter is “well-meant... oftentimes undermines the benefits of diversity.” In the second half of the book Mathabane elaborates on the principles of ubuntu through quotes from leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Desmond Tutu, Mandela, and philosophers, yet is light on logistics when applying them to America today. Instead he relies on hopes that “President Trump will embrace and champion the inclusive and humanizing principles of ubuntu in the same way that Mandela embraced and championed them.” For many readers, this might seem like wishful thinking. (Jan.)

From the Publisher

*** Praise for Mark Mathabane ***

“Mathabane is a remarkable human being: responsible, committed, reasonable, level-headed, humane, understanding, and empathetic.”
–Publishers Weekly

“At times [Mathabane] seems a combination of Martin Luther King Jr., whom he paraphrases often, and Gandhi, whose countenance he resembles.”
–Itabari Njeri, Los Angeles Times

*** On Ubuntu ***

“There is a word in South Africa: Ubuntu, a word that captures Mandela’s greatest gift—his recognition that we are all bound together in ways that are invisible to the eye, that there is a oneness to humanity that we achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves with others and caring for those around us.”
–President Barack Obama

“One of the sayings in our country is Ubuntu—the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can’t exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can’t be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality—Ubuntu—you are known for your generosity. We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole World. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity.”
–Archbishop Desmond Tutu

*** Praise for Skyhorse Publishing ***

“In the era of corporate dominated mainstream media and feckless herd reporting, Skyhorse's willingness to tackle tough issues that other publishers won't touch has made it a critical cog in our democracy.”
–Robert F. Kennedy Jr., New York Times bestselling author

“It has been a pleasure watching Skyhorse Publishing develop into one of the largest and fastest-growing independent publishers over the last decade. Trident does a good deal of business with Skyhorse. Skyhorse has become a cornerstone of independent publishing and has taken its rightful seat in the world of major trade publishing.”
–Robert Gottlieb, chairman of Trident Media Group, LLC

*** Praise for Mark Mathabane ***

“Mathabane is a remarkable human being: responsible, committed, reasonable, level-headed, humane, understanding, and empathetic.”
–Publishers Weekly

“At times [Mathabane] seems a combination of Martin Luther King Jr., whom he paraphrases often, and Gandhi, whose countenance he resembles.”
–Itabari Njeri, Los Angeles Times

*** On Ubuntu ***

“There is a word in South Africa: Ubuntu, a word that captures Mandela’s greatest gift—his recognition that we are all bound together in ways that are invisible to the eye, that there is a oneness to humanity that we achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves with others and caring for those around us.”
–President Barack Obama

“One of the sayings in our country is Ubuntu—the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can’t exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can’t be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality—Ubuntu—you are known for your generosity. We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole World. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity.”
–Archbishop Desmond Tutu

*** Praise for Skyhorse Publishing ***

“In the era of corporate dominated mainstream media and feckless herd reporting, Skyhorse's willingness to tackle tough issues that other publishers won't touch has made it a critical cog in our democracy.”
–Robert F. Kennedy Jr., New York Times bestselling author

“It has been a pleasure watching Skyhorse Publishing develop into one of the largest and fastest-growing independent publishers over the last decade. Trident does a good deal of business with Skyhorse. Skyhorse has become a cornerstone of independent publishing and has taken its rightful seat in the world of major trade publishing.”
–Robert Gottlieb, chairman of Trident Media Group, LLC

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169557978
Publisher:	Brilliance Audio
Publication date:	01/30/2018
Edition description:	Unabridged

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