UCT Showcase Announcement

Photo mosaic of entries from the
University of Cape Town (UCT) Flourishing Community Showcase

Kinship, Ubuntu, and Community Through Photography

In this issue, we reflect on the often-unnoticed work of kin keeping, the African philosophy of Ubuntu meaning “I am because we are,” and how both come alive through photography. Alongside Mandy’s reflections on the everyday efforts that keep relationships strong, we share the story of the University of Cape Town’s first community showcase. What began as an invitation for UCT staff, students, and alumni to share photos has now grown into a campus wide movement. Every photo from the Showcase makes a difference by sparking dialogue, inspiring hope, and demonstrating what flourishing community showcases are all about.

The “This is Me” UCT Showcase will be extended through the month of September.

“What if the most important thing you ever do is send that birthday card, plan that reunion, or make that Sunday call?”

In a world enamored with productivity, outcomes, and public achievements, there’s a kind of invisible labor that rarely gets noticed: kin keeping. It is the mental, emotional, and logistical work of maintaining relationships: remembering birthdays, organizing holiday gatherings, sending updates, checking in, keeping everyone connected.

Often done quietly, usually by women, it is a labor of love that does not show up on resumes. But here is the truth: kin keeping might be the most important job in the world.

The Science Is Clear: Relationships Are Everything

Decades of research, from Harvard’s Study of Adult Development to the science of positive psychology, all point in the same direction: deep, meaningful relationships are the single greatest predictor of long-term happiness and health. Not wealth. Not career success. Not fame.

What matters is connection.

Yet sustaining connection does not just happen. It takes effort. It takes a kin keeper.

The Spirit of Ubuntu: I Am Because We Are

Kin keeping is not just practical, it is deeply philosophical. It echoes the African principle of Ubuntu, which means:

“I am because we are.”

Ubuntu reminds us that our humanity is tied to the humanity of others. We exist in relation. We thrive in connection. Kin keeping, then, becomes a sacred act of Ubuntu, a way of saying your life matters to mine.

When you remember to call. When you light the birthday candles. When you text just to check in. You are practicing Ubuntu. You are anchoring someone’s sense of belonging.

And that is no small thing.

The Work That Holds Us Together

Kin keeping is the glue. It is the force that keeps siblings from drifting, that knits families across generations, that binds friends through years of distance and change.

Group texts. Calendar invites. Postcards. Thoughtfulness.

It is a hundred tiny actions that, together, hold a life.

The Emotional Toll (And the Power) of Kin Keeping

The work of kin keeping is beautiful, but also heavy. It is unrecognized. It can feel lonely.

But when we see it clearly, we can reframe it: not as a burden, but as a radical act of care in a disconnected world. In a time when loneliness is labeled an epidemic, the kin keeper is a quiet revolutionary.

A Mindful Practice of Connection

At SeeingHappy, we believe in paying attention to joy. Kin keeping is joy, in slow motion. It is noticing others. Caring enough to remember. Sharing small moments.

So this week, try this:
Take a photo of something that connects you to someone else: a keepsake, a tradition, a favorite recipe.
Send it with a note.
Submit it to SeeingHappy and tag it #SeeingHappy if you would like to share it with us.

Reflection Prompt:
Who is your kin keeper?
And who do you quietly hold together?
Send them a note today.

These themes of kinship and Ubuntu are also coming to life at the University of Cape Town (UCT). What began as an invitation for university staff, students, and alumni to share photos has grown into a community showcase that is shaping new conversations about identity, resilience, and belonging. For many, this is the first time these conversations have had a visible home at the university.

MRS VHUDELE
BY MULAMULELI MUDIMELI

“This is a[n old] picture of my mom. The best representation of me. She has been by my side since forever. One thing she always tells me is that Love is the one thing that has no currency, you cant overspend it. So you better love because there’s no limit to love.”

One of the many photos shared by UCT students, current teachers, and alumni inspiring daily reflection and dialogue.

The showcase has now grown into a WhatsApp chat of nearly 300 UCT community members sharing these photos, a major exhibition scheduled for October 25 on campus, and photos being shared through SeeingHappy. Every photo makes a difference in sparking dialogue, inspiring collective hope, and showing what flourishing community showcases are all about.

Ubuntu in Action

The spirit of this showcase speaks directly to Ubuntu: our identities are shaped not in isolation but through our connections with one another. Photography is proving to be more than images on a page. It is a way of opening doors to dialogue, meaning, and connection.

An Invitation to Join the Conversation

The UCT showcase is reserved for students, university teachers, and alumni, and it is a reminder of what can happen when a community comes together around stories of identity and belonging. In the same spirit, we invite you to join the broader SeeingHappy conversation. Capture and submit a photo that explores what “This is Me” means in your life.

SeeingHappy is a place to think beyond your immediate perspective, to connect across contexts, and to cultivate compassion and understanding wherever you are in the world.

And if you are part of a university or organization that might wish to explore a similar project, we would be glad to hear from you. Together we can continue to build spaces where identity and belonging can be seen, shared, and celebrated.

The Team at SeeingHappy