Seeing and Being Seen: Sawubona, Ubuntu, and Intercultural Dialogue in a Fractured World

Part of the UNESCO Intercultural Competence Webinar Series.
Presented by Dr. Precious Simba, Co-Chair, UNESCO Chair on Intercultural Competence, Stellenbosch University

There is no denying that in many ways we find ourselves in a time of human and planetary crisis. At such a time— marked by ecological degradation, social fragmentation, indignity on unimaginable scales—reimagining how we encounter others becomes an urgent imperative. This webinar explores the isiZulu notion of sawubona (“we see you”) as an ethical and relational practice rooted in ubuntu.

Dr. Simba will examine how sawubona in ubuntu practice can reshape intercultural dialogue, offering a decolonial perspective that resists individualism, violence and indignity. In a world fractured by crisis, what does it mean to truly “see” one another? And how might sawubona shape more ethical, relational forms of intercultural engagement? This webinar invites a global audience to engage with conceptual tools from the global South to reflect on these urgent globally pertinent questions.