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    The Lessons of Ubuntu: How an African Philosophy Can Inspire Racial Healing in America
    The Lessons of Ubuntu: How an African Philosophy Can Inspire Racial Healing in America
    The Lessons of Ubuntu: How an African Philosophy Can Inspire Racial Healing in America
    Audiobook9 hours

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

    Written by Mark Mathabane

    Narrated by JD Jackson

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateJan 30, 2018
    ISBN9781543655667
    Author

    Mark Mathabane

    Mark Mathabane is the author of Kaffir Boy, and his articles on race and education have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, People, and other major publications. He has also been featured on numerous radio and TV shows, including Oprah, NPR’s Fresh Air, CNN, NBC’s Today, and Charlie Rose. He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his family.

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    Reviews for The Lessons of Ubuntu

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    • 5/5
      This is a book that should be read in every college in America. It is the most truthful and solution-oriented book that I have read about race. It has helped me find more words to be able to resolve my internal identity conflict with being white, and thus not having felt the brutal bigotry from police and neighbors that is felt by those who are black; yet also with my pale skin, recognizing that my greatest grandmother--the greatest grandmother we all share--had dark skin and was African.
    • 5/5
      Mark Mathabane gives the reader a vivid account of being a black man in South Africa and America. Unfortunately, the experiences are much the same in both countries. This latest book by Mathabane describes what needs to be done to bring racial healing between blacks and whites. The first part of the book describes ten obstacles to racial healing. The second half of the book outlines the ten principles of Ubuntu, an African philosophy emphasizing the bond connecting all humanity. Mathabane recognizes that racial biases are held by both blacks and whites. Racial healing and peace requires practicing empathy, compromise, learning, nonviolence, change, forgiveness, restorative justice, love, spirituality, and hope. Mathabane provides examples of each of these principles put into practice. He explains what the Ubuntu principles are but does not provide a how-to guide to their implementation. His book does provide the inspiration to take action on closing the racial divide.