AfriNEAD had an ambitious agenda of being an inclusive network that brings together persons with disabilities, disability researchers and disability activists. While most members celebrate this diversity, the gulf in lived experience amongst members brings its own tensions and dynamics and requires flexibility to accommodate different perspectives. Bringing people from different backgrounds and reflecting on some of the controversies can be challenging. What was clear to AfriNEAD was that integral to the process of developing a sustainable network was the need to pay close attention to the relationships amongst all participants. AfriNEAD chose Ubuntu an African concept as an umbrella to unify differences and be sustainable. African thinking could be a resource that could assist in creating resilient disability networks. This thinking could further be a springboard and provide guidance in the African understanding of disability.