Mediacology

(c) ODTmaps
An interesting article on how the world can teach the US a thing or two. What follows is a snip that discusses “ubuntu.”

AlterNet: 11 Things We Can Learn from the Rest of the World:

Here’s a surprise. What Africa has to offer the West is democracy! History says Ancient Greece invented democracy. But the Greeks took their inspiration from the other side of the Mediterranean in Egypt. “African democracy,” which is practiced to this day in villages and towns across the continent — where 70 percent of Africans live — is very different from “Western democracy.” It is based on the humanist philosophy called Ubuntu, originating in southern Africa, which teaches, “I am because you are.” African democracy is focussed on including everyone, whereas Western democracy, with its basis in majority rule, divides people and nations.

Traditional African democracy doesn’t involve organized opposition. Power is arranged like a pyramid. At the top is the king who exercises supreme authority, assisted by his council of elders and sub-chiefs. But the king or chief has no power except that which is given to him by the people. He is usually enthroned for life, but the actual duration of his reign depends on how well or poorly he performs. If he is a good king, he stays. If he is a bad king — who oppresses the people, or acts against their interests and traditions — he is overthrown by the people, using the constitutional means established for the purpose.