Sawubona!
Sawubona is an ancient isiZulu greeting which means ‘we see you’. This greeting can be used the same way as when we’d say hello to someone. The only difference is that instead of referring to oneself as “I” in a single person greeting another individual, Sawubona embodies “we”. And in response, the other person says Sikhona to which means ‘We are seen.’
In isiZulu tradition, the “I” is a connection to an ancient lineage of family and ancestry. Which means my lineage, my family, and my ancestry, are always with me, I am never alone. So when you meet me, not only are you meeting me but that you are also meeting my lineage which I represent.
However, Sawubona is more than just a greeting. It also means to acknowledge and recognize each other. To bring each other into existence in this space which we are living. It is an invitation to a deeper witnessing and presence of one being. Sawubona conveys the idea of seeing someone beyond the physical. It means understanding who he or she is.
Saying Sawubona to someone indicates ‘I get what you are going through — I get you. You are important to me and I value you.’ It is a way to make the other person visible and to accept them as they are with their virtues, nuances, and flaws. When you truly understand someone, it is not simply that you understand how he or she feels but that you also understand who they are. You are still enough within yourself to be present for the beloved in front of you. As you bear witness to what they are going through in their life, you are telling them, ‘You are important… and I see you.’
Sawubona is a concept that was born out of the African philosophy of Ubuntu which teaches that we are human only through the humanity of others. It translate as ‘I am; therefore, we are.’ It is also defined as ‘a person is a person through other people.’
Ubuntu is the essence of human being, the divine spark of goodness inherent within each being. It is love, truth, peace, happiness, external optimism, inner goodness, and so on. Ubuntu means “oneness” — this understanding of the interconnectedness of all life. A golden thread of goodness connects all life, from the lowest creature to the highest. This golden thread is commonly known as Love; Ubuntu.
With that being said, as I place both my hands together by my heart I simply greet you, Sawubona!
(RMamabolo) (TKemp) (EForeman) (RHarilall) (DWRMorris)
