Power, Plurality, and the Spirit of Ubuntu
What Arendt and African Wisdom Teach Us About Human Dignity, Shared Agency, and Leadership Beyond Control
“I am because we are. And since we are, therefore I am.”
— African proverb rooted in Ubuntu philosophy
In her writings, Hannah Arendt was clear: real power is not the force of one over many. Real power arises between people—in the spaces where plurality is honored and collective action is possible. Power is not possessed. It is produced, moment by moment, in the public sphere where people come together to speak, act, and decide.
This insight may sound radical in a business world still saturated with command-and-control models, where power is seen as leverage, hierarchy, title. But Arendt offers a very different lens—one that finds powerful resonance in African traditions like Ifá and Ubuntu.
Ifá and the Power of Shared Destiny
In the Yoruba spiritual system of Ifá, leadership is not about domination. It is about alignment—with truth, with the community, with the ancestors, and with the collective unfolding of destiny. The Odu Ifá are filled with stories that remind us: when a leader acts without the wisdom of the group, they lose more than credibility—they lose protection.
In the Odu Obara Meji, we are told:
“A single hand cannot lift a calabash to the head.
Only with others can the burden be carried.”
Power, in this framework, is not about independence. It’s about interdependence.
Similarly, the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu teaches:
“A person is a person through other people.”
These teachings—Arendt’s idea of plurality, Ifá’s notion of communal destiny, Ubuntu’s ethic of interbeing—all converge on one essential truth:
To lead well is to recognize that no one becomes fully human alone.
Beyond the Myth of the Strong Leader
Modern leadership culture often idolizes the singular genius, the decisive voice, the solitary disruptor. We celebrate “founders,” “visionaries,” “CEOs who changed everything.”
But Arendt reminds us that this obsession with the lone figure can blind us to the true nature of power. Real power, she says, is relational. It emerges when people come together in public, in dialogue, in coordinated purpose.
And African traditions agree. In both Ifá and Ubuntu, the leader is not above the people but accountable to the people. Leadership is not a spotlight—it’s a stewardship.
This has real implications in organizational life. If we want cultures where innovation flows, where people bring their whole selves, where justice is possible—we must stop building systems that reward only individual brilliance. We must begin cultivating shared space, shared voice, and shared power.
The Plural World Is Not a Threat
Plurality—difference, diversity, the presence of others unlike ourselves—is often seen as a source of risk in institutions. It complicates consensus. It slows down efficiency. It threatens certainty.
But for Arendt, plurality is not a problem. It is the very condition for freedom. It is the field where ideas evolve, ethics sharpen, futures form. Without others, we do not speak—we echo. We do not lead—we command.
Ubuntu insists on the same truth. There is no I without We. The existence of the Other is not a threat—it is a mirror of our humanity.
Ifá makes this relational ethic sacred: when an elder speaks, the community listens not because of their authority alone, but because their voice is considered part of the collective memory. Wisdom in Ifá is always distributed. It does not belong to one.
From Control to Connection: Rethinking Power in Practice
What does this mean for today’s executive, founder, or team leader?
It means that control is no longer the currency of strong leadership. Connection is.
It means that instead of chasing efficiency alone, we must build spaces of participation.
It means asking not just “What decision should I make?” but “Whose voice is missing from this decision?”
Power that is not shared will be resisted. Power that is shared has the chance to become legacy.
The Circle Is the Symbol
Imagine a circle: no one at the head, no one behind. This is the visual geometry of Ubuntu. It is also the ritual formation in many Ifá ceremonies. And it is, implicitly, the space Arendt believed true politics lived in—a space where every person is seen, heard, and called to responsibility.
Leadership in such a circle is not passive. It is profoundly active. But it does not center on the ego—it centers on the we. On building trust. On holding difference. On staying when it would be easier to exit.
That is power. Not the power to rule, but the power to remain in relationship.
Closing Reflection: The Plural Leader
The future belongs not to the loudest voice in the room, but to those who can hold the room open for many voices to speak. To lead with Arendt’s insight and Ifá’s wisdom is to know that power is not a throne—it is a bridge. And to walk across that bridge, together, is the most courageous form of leadership we have.
💬 Reflect With Us
How does your organization define power?
Where are you making space for plurality—in decisions, in design, in culture?
What would leadership look like if rooted in Ubuntu, not ego?
Tag a colleague who leads from connection. Or share how you are building power through people, not over them.
Ashé!
Tilo Plöger de Àjàgùnnà
DAILY IFÁ BUSINESS