Introduction

Several decades ago, African villages thrived on shared care: children wandered freely, tasks were done collectively, and the community upheld justice. Today, in a city apartment, extended family and kinship have been replaced by walls, and the same duties now rest on the shoulders of isolated households. This article explores how urban life reshapes gendered experiences and whether a modern Ubuntu can restore shared responsibility.

The Good old Day

In traditional African villages, life moved as a shared rhythm. Children played under the watchful eyes of grandmothers, aunts, uncles, and older siblings, while men, women, and co-wives tilled fields, traded, and cooked together. No woman raised a child alone; no man carried provisions in silence. Daily survival depended on collective effort, and every duty was woven into a network of mutual care. Gender roles were not isolated tasks but shared responsibilities, embedded in a living architecture of Ubuntu, where interdependence shaped both care and community.

When Care was Everyone’s Business

Step into communities in Africa that offer vivid examples of shared care in action. In Yoruba compounds, grandmothers, aunts, and older siblings cared for children in the shade of the courtyard while women traded at the market. Among the Ghanaian Akan communities, women gained protection even beyond marriage through matrilineal lineages with maternal uncles and lineage elders promoting the welfare of children. In Nigeria, the Umuada– a powerful assembly of women met in Igbo towns to resolve conflicts and mobilize help in times of emergency. Gender responsibilities were never isolated; rather, they were interwoven with the fundamental fabric of social life, from childcare and trade to resolving disputes.

When Care Becomes Private

The laws of everyday existence have been rewritten by contemporary cities. Wage labour divides families, nuclear households limit care to one household, and private apartments replace busy compounds. Men handle provider responsibilities alone, while women balance paid work and unpaid caring without the support of family. Marital discord, illness, or job loss frequently turn into personal crises rather than communal issues. Trust is undermined by the use of walls and fences even in rural areas. The collective cushioning that once lessened life’s hardships has been removed by the privatization of gender burdens.

Ubuntu Reimagined

“I am because we are” need not remain a nostalgic ideal. In today’s cities, it could inspire intergenerational housing, cooperative childcare, shared savings groups, and community mediation forums. Caregiving could become a social good, masculinity redefined beyond lone provision, and policies could reinforce extended family support even in nuclear homes. Ubuntu’s ethic of relational dignity reminds us that gender justice may thrive less through isolated empowerment and more by rebuilding shared responsibilities that reconnect communities and lighten life’s burdens.

Conclusion

The shift from communal interdependence to modern private households has made gender experiences a personal burden rather than a communal obligation. Through collaborative care, relational leadership, and trust, reimagined Ubuntu serves as a reminder that gender justice is achieved by standing together rather than by standing alone. The future of gender justice depends on learning once again to lift each other, not carry burdens alone.