Integrating Ubuntu: embedding African philosophy into disaster risk reduction and management

Abstract

Disasters, whether natural, socio-natural, or anthropogenic, are not merely technical challenges but deeply political and cultural phenomena shaped by historical and ideological contexts. In Southern Africa, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRMM) has long been dominated by global, technocratic frameworks that sideline indigenous knowledge systems. Yet, as climate hazards intensify, the limitations of infrastructure-centric approaches become evident, demanding a shift toward culturally grounded resilience strategies. This opinion piece argues that integrating Ubuntu1, an African philosophy emphasizing communality, reciprocity, and shared humanity, into DRRM offers a transformative alternative to Western-centric models. While Ubuntu has influenced postcolonial governance and justice, its potential in disaster risk governance remains overlooked. The opinion piece challenges universalist risk paradigms and advocates for decolonized, participatory disaster governance where resilience emerges not from institutional power alone, but from the moral and social fabric of communities.