UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA (UNISA)
College of Human Sciences
⋄
Storification within Mirror Reflection
Assignment 2 — Semester 2, 2026
⋄
Module Code: AFL1501
Module Name: African Languages and Literature
Assignment No.: Assignment 2
Due Date: 30 August 2026
Semester: Semester 2, 2026
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for AFL1501
at the University of South Africa.
, UNISA | AFL1501 Storification within Mirror Reflection
Introduction
The African proverb chosen for this assignment is Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, an isiZulu
expression that means "a person is a person through other people." A few words carry a mes-
sage about how human beings develop their identity and their humanity through relationships
with others. The proverb is widely understood to communicate the idea that personhood is
not achieved alone but is built through the presence, support and recognition of other peo-
ple, and similar versions of the saying appear in isiXhosa, Tshivenda, Shona, Northern Sotho,
Sesotho and Setswana, which shows that the underlying idea is shared across several South-
ern African language communities (University of South Africa, 2018).
My favourite and most meaningful part of the proverb is the phrase itself: umuntu ngumuntu
ngabantu. What makes this short line so powerful is its repetition of the word for "person"
alongside the word for "people," so that the sentence structure itself performs the very idea
it describes: a person cannot be separated from other people, even at the level of grammar.
There is no single "chapter" or "scene" to select a favourite from, because the proverb is not
a long narrative with plot and character. Instead, its entire force sits in that one repeated line,
which is why it has been passed down for generations in such a compact and memorable
form.
The source of this proverb is oral tradition rather than a single written text. It is a saying that
circulates across isiZulu-speaking communities in South Africa and has been documented in
academic and government sources discussing Ubuntu philosophy, including the study mate-
rial for this module and South African government publications on Ubuntu and nation-building
(University of South Africa, 2018; South African Government, 2006). Its background lies in
the broader Nguni oral tradition, where proverbs, praise poetry and folktales were used by
elders to teach values to younger generations long before the introduction of written literature
in Southern Africa. The proverb has since moved beyond its original oral context and now
appears in constitutional debates, academic writing, political speeches and everyday conver-
sation, most famously in South Africa’s post-apartheid discourse on reconciliation and human
dignity.
This essay uses umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu as a short but complete form of storytelling to
explore why it is personally and culturally meaningful, the language in which it is told, and
how that language shapes its meaning. The discussion draws on the study unit’s treatment of
Literature reflects our worldview and Storification: Mirror reflection to show how a proverb,
Page 1 of 11
College of Human Sciences
⋄
Storification within Mirror Reflection
Assignment 2 — Semester 2, 2026
⋄
Module Code: AFL1501
Module Name: African Languages and Literature
Assignment No.: Assignment 2
Due Date: 30 August 2026
Semester: Semester 2, 2026
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for AFL1501
at the University of South Africa.
, UNISA | AFL1501 Storification within Mirror Reflection
Introduction
The African proverb chosen for this assignment is Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, an isiZulu
expression that means "a person is a person through other people." A few words carry a mes-
sage about how human beings develop their identity and their humanity through relationships
with others. The proverb is widely understood to communicate the idea that personhood is
not achieved alone but is built through the presence, support and recognition of other peo-
ple, and similar versions of the saying appear in isiXhosa, Tshivenda, Shona, Northern Sotho,
Sesotho and Setswana, which shows that the underlying idea is shared across several South-
ern African language communities (University of South Africa, 2018).
My favourite and most meaningful part of the proverb is the phrase itself: umuntu ngumuntu
ngabantu. What makes this short line so powerful is its repetition of the word for "person"
alongside the word for "people," so that the sentence structure itself performs the very idea
it describes: a person cannot be separated from other people, even at the level of grammar.
There is no single "chapter" or "scene" to select a favourite from, because the proverb is not
a long narrative with plot and character. Instead, its entire force sits in that one repeated line,
which is why it has been passed down for generations in such a compact and memorable
form.
The source of this proverb is oral tradition rather than a single written text. It is a saying that
circulates across isiZulu-speaking communities in South Africa and has been documented in
academic and government sources discussing Ubuntu philosophy, including the study mate-
rial for this module and South African government publications on Ubuntu and nation-building
(University of South Africa, 2018; South African Government, 2006). Its background lies in
the broader Nguni oral tradition, where proverbs, praise poetry and folktales were used by
elders to teach values to younger generations long before the introduction of written literature
in Southern Africa. The proverb has since moved beyond its original oral context and now
appears in constitutional debates, academic writing, political speeches and everyday conver-
sation, most famously in South Africa’s post-apartheid discourse on reconciliation and human
dignity.
This essay uses umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu as a short but complete form of storytelling to
explore why it is personally and culturally meaningful, the language in which it is told, and
how that language shapes its meaning. The discussion draws on the study unit’s treatment of
Literature reflects our worldview and Storification: Mirror reflection to show how a proverb,
Page 1 of 11
