Ubuntu: The Indigenous Ethos of Restorative Justice
5 hours ago
- #indigenous cultures
- #social conflict
- #restorative justice
- European colonialists mistakenly believed African indigenous societies had no justice systems due to the absence of jails, police, lawyers, judges, or courts.
- The adversarial vision of justice in Western culture is a recent historical construct, emerging around AD 1200 with the nation-state and racial capitalism.
- Restorative justice prioritizes reconciliation and restitution over vengeance, aiming to restore social peace and avoid blood feuds.
- Most indigenous languages lack a word for prison, reflecting their focus on restorative rather than punitive justice.
- Punishment and vengeance create negative feedback loops of violence, harming both society and individuals psychologically.
- Hatred and anger negatively impact well-being on physical and emotional levels, as documented scientifically.
- Restorative justice does not require forgiveness; it focuses on transforming punitive responses and ensuring safe, facilitated encounters for all parties.
- Success in restorative justice is measured by truth-telling, remorse, responsibility, and reparations, not by forgiveness.