South Africa has been making global headlines of late for all the right reasons. We’re the only nation in the world to win four Rugby World Cups, the Proteas took us to a Cricket World Cup semifinal, Dricus du Plessis brought home an Ultimate Fighting Championship world title and Bafana Bafana won a bronze medal in the Afcon championship while, in the showbiz world, Trevor Noah won an Emmy Award and Tyla won a Grammy Award.
Last month’s Ubuntu Awards, hosted by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, honoured and celebrated special South Africans who promoted South Africa’s national interests and values across the world — most especially our unique spirit of ubuntu. Irrespective of the race, colour, class, culture or creed that divides us, the spirit of ubuntu unapologetically unites us.
Aspen Pharmacare has been a sponsor of the Ubuntu Awards since its inception in 2017.
I have the privilege of travelling the world for work and meeting people from all walks of life, and I am always fascinated that the world sees South Africa and South Africans as having something unique, but they can’t quite put their finger on exactly what it is.
It’s quite simple.
It’s our ubuntu.
This year’s Ubuntu Awards honoured some of the best of us, those South Africans taking our “something unique” to the world’s stages in the most significant way.
The young women of South Africa are taking us forward into an era of excellence, and in recognition of this Thuso Mbedu, Ncumisa Mkabile and Janine van Wyk all took to the stage to receive their awards.
I was especially honoured to present an award to the veteran actor John Kani, who became world famous in Black Panther, Lion King and a slew of other box office Hollywood hits. In presenting the award to a global icon who came from truly humble beginnings in the Eastern Cape, I reflected on his graciousness, humility and ubuntu.
In truth, we don’t always treat our ubuntu as the beacon we should, and we sometimes take it for granted. It truly defines how we show up in the world, especially South Africa’s young women and girls, who against all odds are making a name for themselves and raising our flag all across the world.
When Tyla walked on stage at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles to accept her Grammy Award, she introduced herself by telling the audience of millions across the world that she is from South Africa. She has even said, “Being South African is a flex”, the Gen Z term referring to bragging.
Trevor Noah is South African in everything that he presents to the world.
Siya Kolisi, another Ubuntu Award winner this year, famously said, “The other countries don’t understand. You have to be a South African to understand.”
Dricus du Plessis introduced a new South African slogan to the world — in Afrikaans, nogal: “Nou weet hulle wat ons weet [Now they know what we know].”
Our ubuntu is intrinsic, it’s inherent and it permeates our DNA. DM