%0 Journal Article
%T Reimagining Ubuntu in schools: A perspective from two primary school leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo
%A Jean Pierre Elonga Mboyo
%J Educational Management Administration & Leadership
%@ 1741-1440
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/1741143217728085
%X Communalism, otherwise known as ¡®Ubuntu¡¯ in African literature, has come to signify the philosophical and ethical thought capable of transforming behaviours/lives and restoring the continent¡¯s cultural identity. This potent energy is explored in this article with a critical discussion of the conceptual, cultural and operational statuses of Ubuntu. While inhumanity across Africa has prompted some to question its viability, others ¨C including the author of this article ¨C see, in these testing times, an opportunity to reinvent the concept. Using narrative data from two urban primary head teachers based in Kinshasa/Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the article highlights unique Ubuntu operational patterns of understanding others¡¯ needs, negotiating and prioritising needs, assessing available resources, attending to others¡¯ needs, and raised expectations and commitment to organisational goals. This process, it is noted, can successfully take place in the context of genuine dialogue; a compromise that not only prevents ¡®bogus needs¡¯ and looks beyond limited resources, but also serves the interests of both individuals and schools
%K Africa
%K DRC
%K school leadership
%K Ubuntu
%K urban schools
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1741143217728085