The emerging communiversity in Zimbabwe specifically and the Global South in general is driven the need to re-GENE-rate society towards self-sufficiency within the context of nhakanomics which is relevant to our African indigenous socioeconomic practices. This is a radical departure from the notion of neo-liberal economic approach which is advanced by America and the West which advocates that there is one universal economic approach for the whole world. Nhaka is a Shona term which means legacy or inheritance. Hence nhakanomics as an economic approach acknowledges that in Zimbabwe and the Global South economics and politics are interwoven leading to what we term policonomy. Therefore, economics and politics cannot be looked at in isolation because each influence the other which makes nhakanomics intricately lodged in the specific cultural way which is unique to Zimbabwe and the Global South. In order for this economic approach to be effective, it has to be viewed from both the substance and the process perspectives.
The substance and process of Nhakanomics leading towards the re-GENE-ration of Zimbabwe
The process of nhakanomics refers to the GENE rhythm (Grounding, Emergence, Navigation and Effect) conducted substantially by drawing on anthropology and economics (including business and management studies). The goal of the nhakanomics approach is to re-GENE-rate Zimbabwe following the Southern relational path starting from local grounding and origination, tapping on local-global emergent foundation, via a newly global emancipatory navigation ultimately leading to a transformative effect. This approach provides social research and innovation with a clearly holistic and robust approach that can deliver real and tangible results that can adequately address major social and ecological imbalances that have resulted in abject poverty, corruption, stealing and other forms of ills that are bedevilling our society. Hence nhakanomics becomes the basis or foundation of the re-GENE-ration process in order to achieve a self-sufficient economy, leading to a developmental economy, then a social economy thereby having a living economy through what we term the 5Cs.
The re-GENE-ration process through the 5Cs approach by Pundutso Centre for Integral Development
Building upon the nhakanomics approach, the actual re-GENE-ration process follows four recursive cycles of re-GENE-rating C (K)umusha, Culture, Communication and Capital, starting with the re-Constitution of Africa and the African civilisation. In Zimbabwe, this re-GENE-ration process is carried out by Pundutso Centre for Integral Development in conjunction with the Trans4m Centre for Integral Development together with the Trans4m Communiversity Associates (TCAs) which are spread throughout in Nigeria, Pakistan, Jordan and the UK together with their respective research academies. The Communiversity concept constituting the learning communities, the pilgrimium, the research academy and the socioeconomic laboratories is gaining momentum in Zimbabwe with the current post PhD students realigning their research innovations towards the re-GENE-ration of Zimbabwe in particular and the Global South in general.
Figure 1 above shows how the social innovation process is lodged within the Nhakanomics approach altogether building up the Communiversity. The southern relational path or trajectory of social research and innovation (using descriptive method, following the phenomenology methodology, critiquing using the feminist approach, leading to Participatory Action Research (PAR)) together with the 4Cs (Call, Context, Co-creation and Contribution) following the GENE rhythm gives the nhakanomics approach and Communiversity concept a logical and effective process to follow.
Our re-GENE-ration process using the 5Cs starting with re-Constituting Africa and the four recursive cycles of re-GENE-rating C (K)umusha, Culture, Communication and Capital is summarised in figure 2. Kumusha is a Shona term for the rural homestead which the African people are identified which is where they connect with the soil (nature and community). This connection is so strong and for the African indigenous people nature and community is not passive but active which becomes the basis of relationship building. Therefore, re-GENE-rating each of Africa, C(K)umusha, Culture, Communication and Capital leads to total transformation within which our nhakanomics approach is anchored thereby making the Communiversity concept easy to implement.
Leave a Comment