Purpose
Ubuntu is a philosophy that defines the essence of the Bantu (meaning ‘people’) majority of Central and Southern Africa. It captures the core characteristics of humanity, such that when one is described as possessing Ubuntu, it means they are “generous, hospitable, friendly, caring, and compassionate”. Ubuntu informs how one interacts with others in the community, sharing ownership of learning, growth, environment, health, and other aspects of life. The aim of this current project is to develop a framework for operationalising principles of Ubuntu in learning and community-building in a western institution of Higher Education.

Methods
Using a participatory deliberative process and in partnership with students and educators at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, I am exploring how Ubuntu philosophy can be applied in the Imperial College London School of Public Health. To achieve this, I am conducting discussions to establish student and educator views and to explore the transferability of Ubuntu characteristics to a Western setting. Discussions will culminate with the development a framework for student collaboration, to be trialed in the Imperial College London School of Public Health.

Results
Given the increasing diversity of the global student population and international research collaborations, embracing Ubuntu philosophy in Western institutions of Higher Education acknowledges the diversity of knowledge production, while potentially enhancing student collaboration, identity, value, agency, and sense of belonging.

Lessons Learnt
At present, I am consulting with educators at the University of Nairobi, who are also researching Ubuntu philosophy, linguistics, poetry, and value-creation in education. From these consultations, I will be visiting the University of Nairobi in February 2025, to discuss the with students and educators the features of Ubuntu that could be applied through a framework. Findings will be explored with students in the Imperial School of Public Health from the summer of 2025.