[THIS IS A PHYSICAL PIECE AND THE FIRST COLLECTOR IS ENTITLED TO THE SIGNED ORIGINAL]

Ekpuk is an Ibibio/Efik word which loosely translates to extended family, brotherhood, community, kindred. Ekpuk have practices whereby the self is perceived primarily in relation to the perception of others and by that, Ubuntu’s spirit is inextricably linked to the community.

Ubuntu, whose interpretation range from the loose etymological translations to more philosophical renderings like John S. Mbiti’s (1990) ‘I am, because we are; and since we are, therefore I am’; is an ethno-philosophy — a system of thought that deals with the collective worldviews of diverse Africans as a unified form of knowledge based on myths, folk wisdom, and proverbs. In other words, the diversity of Africans, in terms of geographical location, history, and ethnicity, does not take away the fact that Africans have a unified form of knowledge that is based on group identity or community and despite Africa’s cultural diversity, threads of affinity run through the beliefs, customs, value systems, and sociopolitical institutions.

Ultimately, ethics in Ubuntu is the measure of one’s relationality with others, the environment, and all other interdependent parts.