What is Ukuphilisana

A people's self-definition is founded on their epistemologies, but since the imposition of Western education, African epistemologies have been marginalized and bastardized. This chapter will focus on the importance of centering African epistemologies in spaces of learning in order to ensure that what is taught especially at postgraduate level is in concurrence with how people know and experience themselves in society. The focus at postgraduate level is particularly important because this is where students are trained to produce knowledge. This chapter will explore the concept of ukuphilisana as the practicalisation of African psychology on the daily basis. It will be argued that ukuphilisana communicates the cultural embeddedness of the practice of psychology to indigenous Africans. Ukuphilisana also communicates reciprocity central in the philosophy of uBuntu. It is dependent upon everyone remaining ethical to reciprocity. This reciprocity will be explained as a way of being one another's healers.