The Huffington Post
Shari Cohen
International development worker in the public health
sector
Posted: June 15, 2010 11:35 AM
South Africa Rolls Out the Ubuntu in Abundance
I went on a rant the other day regarding the cost of the
2010 World Cup versus all the critical needs South Africa
is facing and whether or not the most vulnerable of this
country would gain anything from having the World Cup hosted
in their country.
At that time, I also had some very positive
things to say about our hosts for the 2010 World Cup and
I wanted to share that side of the coin as well, because
it is equally important.
To say that I have been blown away at the hospitality South
Africa has shown the rest of the world would be an understatement.
I think back on recent Olympics and struggle to remember
much reporting in the USA of athletes from other countries.
I remember when a Togolese guy won a bronze
medal in kayaking and NBC reported it and I thought to myself,
"where are all the other fascinating stories like this
one...like the Jamaican bobsledding team."
In today's America, sadly, we have drifted so far towards
being so US-centric that we only seem to root for the Americans.
Not so here in South Africa. I've been here
since early May and each week I have become more and more
impressed with the global embrace that South Africans have
offered up to the world.
On the way to the airport a couple of weeks ago, I heard
a radio program that said each day they would focus on one
country that would be coming to South Africa for the World
Cup, and they would explore not only that sport's history
in soccer, but also their politics, religion, and socio-cultural
practices.
On the television, I've seen numerous programs that focus
on a particular country and it's history of soccer and how
the history of that country is intertwined with their soccer
history. I've seen programs on India, exploring why India
enjoys soccer but hasn't really excelled at the global level...
yet. And I've seen shows on soccer in Muslim countries.
Maybe it's planned, maybe it's unplanned,
maybe it's by chance, but it is happening. It's not just
about South Africans showing off their varied and multifaceted
culture to their global guests, it's also about using this
opportunity to educate South Africa on the rest of Planet
Earth's inhabitants.
As I moved through my work here in the provinces
over the last six weeks, I had a pivotal meeting with the
Board members of a rural NGO.
They were explaining their guiding program philosophy of
Ubuntu. No, not the Linux program. I'm talking about the
traditional African philosophy of Ubuntu that essentially
says, "No man is an island."
I found a better explanation from Wikipedia:
Archbishop Desmond Tutu further explained Ubuntu in
2008:
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.
To me, Ubuntu is the acceptance of others
as parts of the sum total of each of us. And that is exactly
what I have experienced during the lead up to, and the initial
days of this World Cup.
There is nary a South African citizen that I've met on the
street, or in shops or restaurants or hotels, that hasn't
gone out of their way to greet me and make me feel like
I am home. And I don't mean that in the trivial, "Oh,
aren't they nice, homey people here... " sort of way.
I mean real, genuine interest and questions.
People seriously want to know where I come
from. What it's like where I live. How does it compare to
where I am now. What do I think of South Africa. Oh yes,
and what do I think of Bafana Bafana...
The questions and conversations are in earnest. They are
honest. And they are asked with enthusiasm and a thirst
to know more.
South Africans are drinking deeply from
the cup of humanity that has been brought to their doorstep.
I would never imagine that an American World Cup or Olympics
would ever be this welcoming to the rest of the world. And
that saddens me for the state of my home country, but it
also makes me feel the pride of the South African people.
I have been truly humbled on this trip.
And while I have my gripes regarding development here, I
cannot say one negative thing about how South Africa has
handled its duties as host and hostess to the world. If
I could say one thing to sum up being here during this once-in-a-lifetime
experience, it would be that I've learned the value of Ubuntu,
and that when found and offered in abundance, the world
is indeed a better place to live in.
So, if South Africa accomplishes nothing
more on the playing field, it will still have won as a host
country. I am a cynic, no doubt about that. And yet I have
to admit, I'm a little teary just writing this because I
leave for home next weekend and I will be leaving a little
piece of myself here in South Africa. I just hope I have
learned enough to bring back a little piece of Ubuntu to
my homeland, where perhaps with a little caring and a little
water, it will take root as naturally as it does here, in
the cradle of civilization.
It's funny, many people in America still
ask me, "are the people in Africa very primitive?"
Yes, I know, amazing someone could ask that but they do.
And when they do, I usually explain that living in a mud
hut does not make one primitive, however, allowing kids
to sell drugs to other kids and engage in drive-by killings
-- isn't that primitive behavior? I think it is.
When I think of Ubuntu and my recent experiences
here, I think America has much to learn from Africa in general,
in terms of living as a larger village; and as human beings
who are all interconnected with each other, each of us having
an affect on our brothers and sisters.
As the 2010 Cup slogan goes, "Feel
it. It is here." Well, I have felt it, because I am
here. Thank you South Africa, for giving me this unexpected
gift. I am humbled.
