Ubuntu as a Tool for Resilience: Arts, Microbusiness, and Social Justice in South Africa

Abstract

Ubuntu is a complex concept, but at its simplest is "human-ness," the notion that individuals' well-being is intertwined with that of others in the community. Th is article examines how ubuntu's multiple meanings off er a potential tool for resilience in South Africa, both for arts organizations and for micro and small businesses. Artist Proof Studio off ers a sustained working example of how creativity can make a contribution towards a more just society using a hybrid arts/business model. Th e arts are particularly important in South Africa for off ering the space to address deep wounds, using artistic collaborations to contribute to resilience and wellbeing. Ubuntu can off er an alternative vision to fi nancing micro and small business to the one currently proposed by international lending organizations that seek to import Western-style models of shareholder primacy, short-term profi t, and privatization of public goods. Ubuntu allows for creative new approaches to business, encouraging hybrid models that are socially focused and economically sustainable. Th e arts have the potential for a signifi cant role in conceiving of ubuntu as a tool for resilience of micro and small businesses and as a way of conceptualizing being human in the business context, helping to envision productive and sustainable activities that advance greater economic sustainability.Th e purpose of an organization always lies outside of itself: it cannot last long unless it serves some greater purpose.Reuel Jethro Khoza ( 2014 ) T his article, an inquiry into ubuntu and the arts as potential tools for resilience of micro and small businesses, represents the start of a collaboration across oceans, disciplines, and perspectives. We are two scholars

A Visual Conversation From South Africa: Climate Resilience and Hope for a Green Recovery

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The political institutionalization of the social economy in Ecuador: Indigeneity and institutional logics

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