Introduction : confluence, connections and a call to action in early English education

Abstract

According to Leketi Makalela (2016), a prominent researcher of children’s translanguaging in school contexts, ‘Motho ke motho ka batho or umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu … means “a human is a human because of others” or “I am because you are; you are because we are”’ (p. 188). Used by speakers of Bantu languages in Southern Africa, this maxim captures the essence and the ethics of the African cultural competence, ‘ubuntu’. As Makalela (2016) explains, ubuntu foregrounds confluence and interconnectedness by recognising the necessity of engaging with others to thrive. Predating any influences of globalised human rights discourses, ubuntu draws on the ancient past in order to spearhead change and innovation in the present and future.