Bernard Mayaka calls himself a “Global Social Protection practitioner & consultant, striving for inclusive sustainable wellbeing.” A native of Kenya, with his family from and living in Kenya and Portugal, he has international experience. He just arrived to live and lecture in Arnhem and Nijmegen, mainly for International Social Work.

Mayaka
“I started practicing in volunteer programs immediately after high school, at the age of 19. I’m also religious, so earlier I worked with children from the church. That inspired me to work with children. I have 3 children myself, but I always say I’m a father of 200 plus since my work at a children’s home. In service of the IFSW (International Federation of Social Work) I work with global social workers. Through my studies, I have experience of social work in France, Denmark, the UK, and Portugal. And a master’s graduate, where I aspire to contribute to social work development by training future social workers

Mayaka + Ubuntu
“Ubuntu is a simple yet effective philosophy that encompasses all living beings. The literal translation of ‘ubuntu’ is ‘I am because we are’. It means I am always connected to my community and the environment on which I am dependent. Some criticize this concept as being too communal, but ubuntu focuses on the individual (‘I am’): who are you as a unique person and – yes – also who are you to the community (‘we are’). Ubuntu expands also to all other living things, including our natural environment, even our spiritual ancestors.”

“Ubuntu ethos is founded on: respect, love, interconnectedness, and reciprocity. This means being aware that anything you do is always affecting somebody else.”

Ubuntu is a way of life built upon 4 pillars: Spirituality, Environment, Social structure and Education.

• Spirituality: In African culture we didn’t have religion per se, but we had a belief that was focused mainly on ancestors. Even before being religious, we are all spiritual beings.
• Environment: We see nature and humans as interconnected. The original religions in Kenya saw their God or gods present in a mountain or in a forest. And as nomadic tribes, anywhere they went they had to make sure that the place was left better than how they found it, for the next who would come.
• Social structure: We used land and animals to survive so we needed to work together and also protect each other. In this interconnectedness you see that these responsibilities come automatically. And also broader in the community. Children are cared for by the entire village. We don’t even have a word for orphan.
• Education: We view education as knowledge passed on from one generation to the other, through art, through barazas, through music, through ritual. Every song or story has a lesson in it.

“Where I’m from, community members are involved in decision-making through ‘barazas’ (gatherings). I’m not sure if this exists in the Netherlands. Members discuss all kinds of subjects, solve challenges or resolve conflicts. It can be community-wide but also to help a certain family or individual with challenges. Living together in an ubuntu way cannot be effective without barazas. There everyone can speak up if they want to. There is democracy and respect for each person.”

Rosa editor Richard with Bernand Mayaka

Mayaka + Ubuntu + Social Work
“Ubuntu social work is relevant because it’s not just about social welfare or economic support. If the person is supported to feel satisfied, to feel truly well psychologically and emotionally, the person can be able to find their way. When I was working with children, visiting families, and communities, I had a questionnaire to fill out. But before I did I had a conversation to find out the situation and family condition. Mostly through barazas, challenges could be resolved. For example, in the care of vulnerable children, members offered to care and protect as the child belongs to the community.”

“They say social work practice in the west is very individualized, but I would say it is mechanized, with little human interaction. Practitioners sit behind the computerized guides in sessions. I have been to sessions where social workers have no power, as all systems are dictated by government structures that end up alienating the individual.”

“But when it comes to ubuntu, it is the individual that we are looking at. Who are you? What is your challenge? How can we support you? We guide you to achieve your full potential, not a quick-fix solution. Ubuntu social work empowers, supports, and facilitates individuals to rediscover themselves. Because once you’re a good individual in the community, the community benefits more.”

Mayaka + Ubuntu + Social Work + Implementation
“You say the ‘herstelbeweging’ and the ‘presentietheorie’ somewhat resemble the principles of ubuntu. I would say yes, it’s the same thing because we all come from the same origin. We can have the same ideas, but the difference is in the implementation. For example, when migrants come from Ukraine we say they are Europeans and we treat them differently than when they are from Syria or Africa. We have respect for a specific group, but not for humanity as a whole. In ubuntu we look at you as a human, whether you’re white, black, red, educated, or uneducated, it doesn’t matter.”

“How can you form communities and implement barazas here? At this university, students, teachers, and others make up a community. An apartment building can be a community. People with the same interest can be one. But the people involved have to ask, how can I be useful? What can I contribute to the life of the other? They have to feel a sense of responsibility not only to their immediate family but also to their community. In ubuntu, it even expands to the entire human race and nature!”

“Community individuals have to participate in finding solutions themselves. Every societal problem has a solution from within itself. Not top-down, but bottom-up. There can only be sustainable solutions if they come from within the community itself (community ownership).”