The SHONA Proverb as an Expression of UNHU/ UBUNTU

Abstract

This paper is a discourse on the Shona proverb as a conduit for the transmission and expression of fundamental attributes of ubuntu. The research argues that traditional Zimbabwean institutions drew sustenance from the country’s value systems and experiences embodied in the Shona proverb. The Shona proverb, as a product of the historical and cultural experiences of the
Shona people, unravels the worldview of the Shona people. It is the submission of this paper that ethos which constitute ubuntu are embodied in the Shona proverb. Unhu/ubuntu is vital in creating the necessary general framework within which people can pursue their life’s existential projects necessary for development. Zimbabwe therefore needs recourse to the wisdom encapsulated in the Shona proverb in order for her to experience equipoise, harmony, serenity, balance and peace, which are the basis for Africa’s progress.