‘Ubuntu’ agenda for 2024 World Plenary
'Ubuntu refers to the deeply held belief, the morality and custom, that every person is worthy of being recognised, respected and heard and that human beings are interdependent.’
Tim Gee, general secretary of Friends Worldwide Committee for Consultation (FWCC), introduced ‘Ubuntu’, the 2024 World Plenary theme, to London Quakers earlier this month.
‘Ubuntu is a word that is going to be very important for the global Quaker community,’ he said. ‘There isn’t a great, direct translation in English, but it’s a concept that really resonates with a lot of Quaker testimonies…It refers to the deeply held belief, the morality and custom, that every person is worthy of being recognised, respected and heard and that human beings are interdependent.’
Although terms and languages differ, ubuntu is a daily practice in many African societies, and is a key part of Quaker thought in Southern and Central Africa.
The talk can be heard on the London Quakers website and was the first of London Quakers newly-structured London Friends Together Zoom gatherings, with monthly sessions and longer talks. The next speaker will be Paul Parker, Britain Yearly Meeting recording clerk, on 14 February.
The World Plenary Meeting takes place every seven to eight years; it will be in Southern Africa and online in August 2024.
Comments
Please login to add a comment
