AmaBomvana Spirituality and Life-Cycle Rituals: Anchoring Personhood Through Ubuntu

This article explores the role of AmaBomvana spirituality and life-cycle rituals in fostering resilience and affirming personhood among persons with disabilities in the rural Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Grounded in the African philosophical framework of Ubuntu and informed by critical ethnography, the study investigates how Indigenous spiritual practices—such as ancestral rites, initiation ceremonies, and communal healing rituals—create inclusive spaces of belonging, healing, and moral affirmation for individuals often marginalized by biomedical and Western models of disability. Drawing on rich narratives, oral traditions, and participatory observation with AmaBomvana elders, spiritual leaders, and persons with disabilities, the findings illustrate how spiritual life is deeply intertwined with community resilience and identity. Life-cycle rituals are not only sacred acts of social continuity but also vital instruments through which persons with disabilities are reintegrated, protected, and spiritually affirmed. Ubuntu is presented not simply as a philosophical idea but as a lived ethic that underscores interconnectedness, care, and respect for the dignity of every person. This article contributes to expanding the dialogue on religion, disability, and health by centering Indigenous epistemologies and non-Western modes of healing. It challenges deficit-based models of disability and emphasizes the importance of spiritual resilience as a core dimension of well-being. In doing so, the study highlights how AmaBomvana rituals create ethical and spiritual infrastructures for inclusion, solidarity, and dignity among persons with disabilities in Africa.