Colonialism and Imperialism: Ubuntu and the Struggle Against White Supremacy in South Africa

In the 17th century, South Africa was colonized by the Dutch Empire and, later by the British. The history of European involvement in the region mirrors that of the Americas. As with the Caribbean and mainland North and South America, European settlers in Africa were interested in exploiting the both continent’s people and natural resources. People of European descent in South Africa accumulated wealth due to the markets of enslaved workers which developed along the coast and due to the region’s gold and diamond mines. Settlers justified the absolute pursuit of wealth with the doctrine of white supremacy. They managed to convince themselves – in direct opposition to the concept of Ubuntu – that brutalizing people of African descent was the natural order of things.