26/07/2026
๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ป๐๐, ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ณ๐๐น ๐๐ผ-๐ฒ๐
๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ก๐ถ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐: ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐จ๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ ๐๐น๐๐ฏ ๐๐๐น๐ 2026 ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
By: ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ฅ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ซ๐ค ๐๐ค๐ฉ๐๐ง
Ubuntu, at its simplest, means the connection each individual has with the community. And, globally, Ubuntu is celebrated on July 30 as the International Day of Friendship, celebrating peaceful co-existence and comradeship.
Beyond just celebrating the International Day of Friendship and fostering oneness of purpose amongst communities, the Uyo Book Club chose to focus on the philosophy and practicalities of the Ubuntu spirit. And it made Ubuntu its focus for the month of July 2026.
โ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ฎ: ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ, ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ฒโ authored by Mungi Ngomane, granddaughter of famous South African anti-apartheid advocate Desmond Tutu, became the ๐๐ฒ๐จ ๐๐จ๐ค๐ค ๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฒ 2026 ๐๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ก by no coincidence.
Just as fitting, ๐๐๐ฏ. (๐๐๐ซ๐ซ.) ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ โ lawyer, human rights activist and litigator, journalist, and clergyman โ was chosen as the ๐๐ฒ๐จ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฒ 2026 ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ฐ๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ก.
For Rev. (Barr.) Thomas, beyond the scholarly exegesis expected of a book rewiew, expounding the interpretation of Ubuntu as a philosophy for the everyday experiences of communal living in Nigeria is just as critical.
โUbuntu might be a South African โ Xhosa โ word, but its philosophy, meaning, and applications are trans-national; and these, ascribed other names by ethnicities across Nigeria, have been part of cultural norms for millennia."
In the Book of the Month, author Mungi Ngomane explains the expectation is, the individual is treated the same as the community; just as the individual is an extension of the collective. This, Rev. (Barr.) Clifford Thomas, continued has been the turning point in Nigeria's developmental trajectory โ the elevation of the individual over the community and the suppression of the individual far beneath the state.
โIf we practiced Ubuntu, oil spillages in communities in Akwa Ibom State and the Niger Delta have to deal with wouldn't be a thing because the proceeds and benefits from such injustices which go to the government would never have been allowed to supercede the well-being of the individuals in these polluted communities", he declared.
Barr. Thomas insisted "Over centuries, communal adaptations of the philosophy behind Ubuntu meant communities could effectively police themselves. Today, the state policing blueprint being drawn up at the national level for adaptation by states wouldn't be as effective. Communities know themselves better so there are established norms and traditions to guardrail against crime and maintain peaceful co-existence. State policing has to be customized for each community.โ
Drawing from his decades-long experience in human rights advocacy and litigation, the ๐๐๐๐๐ (Akwa Ibom Human Right Community) ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฏ๐๐ง๐๐ซ prodded the members present with two posers: Firstly, can forgiveness co-exist with justice? And, secondly, is accountability real without reconciliation when there's been injustice?
While as a people we go on and on about injustice and inequality, the lawyer-cum-human-rights-advocate insists unless the victims get restorative compensation, the process is inconclusive. Until victims of fraud, for example, get the recouped proceeds of the fraud schemes anti-fraud institutions recover from the perpetrators, the justice being fought for isn't restorative. Arresting, trial, conviction and recovery are only validated fully by restoration.
Typifying with the Nigerian reality and those in the corridors of power at all levels, Rev. (Barr.) Clifford Thomas d pointed out if aspiring and presumptive leaders were bound by sacred oaths to lead aright and manage the common patrimony of the led judiciously, corruption would have been eliminated. In communities and climes where Ubuntu was practiced in its strictest forms, guarantees were always in place to hold everyone โ including leaders โ to account, and consequences visited upon defaulters.
Reacting to the book review and the lessons gleaned from it, members of the Uyo Book Club such as Engr. Akan-imo Ekwere quizzed the differentiation between Ubuntu and socialism or communism since both are seemingly concerned with prioritizing the welfare of the individual. The July 2026 Book Reviewer of the Month clarified, unlike Ubuntu which equates the individual to the community, communism particularly inherently seeks to arrogate more powers to the state, towering fhe state completely over the individual.
For Dr. Vincent Aluu, a Journalist and the Registrar of the College of Nursing Sciencee, Obohia Ndoki, Ubuntu ties in with the practices over the years in his native Afikpo in Ebonyi State. Relatives were held responsible for the actions of their kin, and the individual was always accountable to the community. But, as is increasingly becoming the norm across Nigeria and Africa, the relegation of Ubuntu guidelines and the championing of self over the collective, even in Dr. Aluuโs native Afikpo, the disintegration of such communal norms has steadily eroded the hallmarks of peaceful co-existence.
Banker-turned-Investment-expert , Mr. Chukwuma Amadi, Mr. Edet William, the Coordinator of Ibiono Ibom Book Club, veteran Journalist, Mr. Israel Umoh, and creative-writer-cum-female-rights-advocate Mrs. Esther B. Attih had questions and commentaries on the practical and everyday implementation of the Ubuntu philosophy, anecdotes of instances which corroborate claims of the balkanization of communities where the philosophy has waned, and steps to implement Ubuntu within the ambits of the law.
Perhaps the most succinct quote from Rev. (Barr.) Clifford Thomasโ review of โEveryday Ubuntu: Living Better Together, the African Way" is, โThough I am also a priest, I believe humanity should be the first religion โ love of neighbour just as of self, and protection of the next human as you would yourself". This, he insists, is the founding block of all religions, and anyone who flouts this basic principle makes a ridicule of whatever show of religiosity he or she professes.
At the end of the day when the Uyo Book Club July 2026 Reading Session, the July 30 International Day of Friends, and โEveryday Ubuntu: Living Better Together, the African Way" by Mungi Ngomane (our Book of the Month) are distilled, the core lesson is championing humanity and being humane as the top priority.
Placing being humane and prioritizing humanity at the apex of our individual and collective aspirations mean corruption, crime and injustice would be pushed down the pecking order while restorative justice, access to what constitutes basic human rights, and peaceful co-existence get elevated above all else. Ubuntu, more than just a philosophy and the theme of books, ia.a liveable lfestyle beneficial to all when.pracitised in its purest sense.
Ubuntu also extends to the cyberspace. It is embodied by mutual respect and ethical use of digital tools. As a matter of fact, thereโs a coined term for anyone who doesn't know how to use or misuses digital tools โ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ด๐ถ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ผ๐. Now accepted and published on the ๐๐ผ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฏ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ, ๐๐ข๐ ๐ข๐๐ข๐จ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ข๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐
๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฒ๐จ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐, ๐๐ซ. ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐.
Unveiling the campaign to turn the tide against society breeding digidiots at the event was medical-doctor-writer, ๐๐ซ. ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ค๐ฉ๐๐ง, the Uyo Book Club Orator.
Another highlight was a goodwill message from a South African who studied in Nigeria. Mr. Clarence A. Kwinana, a Xhosa, like the Author of the Book of the month which was reviewed had his first degree in Mass Communication at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. In his Goodwill letter to the Uyo Book Club, Mr Kwinana recounted the hospitality he was treated to during the course of his educational sojourn in Nigeria. This he added, will be one of the main themes of his autobiography which he hoped would be read and reviewed someday at the Uyo Book Club.
Like the Ubuntu philosophy, at the Uyo Book Club, we are united by our shared love for books, reading, and intellectual exchanges drawn from books and literary documentations. We believe the change we seek begins when we educate our minds and respectfully engage in the course of solution-seeking.
Our Monthly Reading Sessions โ like this month's which held on Saturday 25th of July, 2026 โ hold every last Saturday of the month. We are easy to locate as the venue is situated at the very heart of the Akwa Ibom State capital when you make your way to ๐๐ก๐๐ค๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ, ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ฌ (๐จ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ), ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ฎ๐, ๐๐ฒ๐จ. Time as always is 4:00 p.m., but if you arrive earlier, we have a โbuffetโ of books already served to feed your literary appetite. And ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐๐!
To learn more about our activities, follow our Facebook page by clicking on https://www.facebook.com/uyobookclub, and bookmark our website by visiting https://uyobookclub.org.
Below is the ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ง๐ผ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐จ๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ ๐๐น๐๐ฏ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐๐๐ต ๐๐ณ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป, ๐๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐. ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ:
"Dear Dr Udeme Nana,
I am greatly thrilled to learn that the Shakespeare Hall of the WatBridge Hotels and Suites, will play host to the Uyo Book Club July 2026 Reading Session, featuring a South African.
I have learnt that she is no less a person than Ms Mungi Ngomane, the granddaughter of the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a proponent of humanity and humanism.
The four years I spent at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, from the 1986/87 to 1989/90 Academic years, showed me first hand, that Nigerians were never allergic to books. Reading had always been part of their DNA.
I recall that I was within the four walls of the UNN Continuing Education Centre, when the venue hosted the *Eagle on Iroko International Symposium* , from 12 to 14 February 1990. The symposium was held to honour the great Laurette, Chinua Achebe, on the occasion of his 60th birthday.
Writers, scholars and critics from Africa and the global diaspora, converged to discuss African literature. Among the notable figures, I can mention only two: Cyprian Ekwensi of Nigeria and Dennis Brutus of South Africa. There were always numerous such gatherings in Nigeria.
Coincidentally, I am of the Xhosa ethnic group whose ancestral land is the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. I can relate to the concept of Ubuntu as it is part of my culture. I can only wish the attendees well in their deliberations, with the view to fostering humanism, humanity and African solidarity. Bishop Tutu was a proponent thereof.
I am working hard to finish my memoir. One of its chapters chronicles my four years at UNN. I am hoping that one day, the book will feature in the reviews of the Uyo Book Club.
I wish the gathering great discussions.
Clarence M. Kwinana
B, A (Hons) Mass Comm, UNN
Master of Public Administration, University of Pretoria
Master of Town and Regional Planning, University of Pretoria
Accredited Professional Town Planner"
โ Kingsley Mark Akpan
