Wednesday
Mar142007
South African Culture Rocks the Global Economy
Wednesday, March 14, 2007 at 10:41AM
This post was done for SArocks.co.za:
Ubuntu is a sub-Saharan African ethic or humanist ideology focusing on people's allegiances and relations with each other.
The ideal of uBuntu is that the individual and the collective are inseparable. That the actions of one person have repercussions throughout the community. Sounds a bit like the blogosphere, huh?
One of my favourite quotes on the subject is by Desmond Tutu:
Online user generated content is showing us that there is huge untapped wealth and potential to be harnessed in the collective intelligence of volunteer communities. Opensource developments are enabling people to gain access to tools and opportunities that were previously unattainable to them either due to financial constraints, time constraints or access to other people's skills.
Truly worldshifting technology and development is being built and distributed freely by collaborating with others.
Online cultural phenomena like Wikipedia, Muti and even SArocks are the digital embodiment of uBuntu.
If we are to believe that the internet is going to have a massive impact on the way future generations do business, then we we best believe that South Africa is well positioned to be at the nexus of the next wave of economic leadership - as long as we cherish the true spirit of uBuntu.
Ubuntu is a sub-Saharan African ethic or humanist ideology focusing on people's allegiances and relations with each other.
The ideal of uBuntu is that the individual and the collective are inseparable. That the actions of one person have repercussions throughout the community. Sounds a bit like the blogosphere, huh?
One of my favourite quotes on the subject is by Desmond Tutu:
"A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed".
Online user generated content is showing us that there is huge untapped wealth and potential to be harnessed in the collective intelligence of volunteer communities. Opensource developments are enabling people to gain access to tools and opportunities that were previously unattainable to them either due to financial constraints, time constraints or access to other people's skills.
Truly worldshifting technology and development is being built and distributed freely by collaborating with others.
Online cultural phenomena like Wikipedia, Muti and even SArocks are the digital embodiment of uBuntu.
If we are to believe that the internet is going to have a massive impact on the way future generations do business, then we we best believe that South Africa is well positioned to be at the nexus of the next wave of economic leadership - as long as we cherish the true spirit of uBuntu.
Reader Comments (4)
Mark Shuttleworth also chose the word Ubuntu for the name of his open source company because it represents community so clearly. www.ubuntulinux.com
Yes, thanks for pointing that Crusoe:) Was wondering how to work it into the post without cluttering the message too much, so I'm glad it came up in the coments:)
Hi Dave
Congrats on a great post. I am now kicking myself that I did not call muti digitalubuntu.com instead :)
I think you may just have coined a new term there!
YOU coined it Neville... Darn, wish I'd thought of that! DigitalUbuntu >> very cool.