Spirit of African entrepreneurship

up in?
Sounds like a whole complex issue which I must admit I have failed to get a straightforward answer and to some extent tends to be heavily influenced by the diverse cultural backgrounds that we all come from.
In my quest to get an understanding on this issue, I came across a very interesting exposition by renowned academic and business analyst Professor Lovemore Mbigi. In a paper entitled “The Spirit of African Entrepreneurship: A Wounded Theory Perspective”, he brought in a very interesting perspective to the subject. What makes the paper interesting is that it is not intellectual rigour, but emotional and spiritual rigour that nurtures the spirit of entrepreneurship.
As entrepreneurs we all have some characteristics that set entrepreneurs apart from the rest. What is it that makes certain people believe in themselves enough to take the prospect of failure head-on and have the determination to come out on top? It takes a special kind of person to set an idea in motion, riding the highs and lows from humble beginnings to ultimate success. The entrepreneurial spirit is a gift that inspires others to become the best they can be from passion and positivity to leadership and ambition.
Prof Mbigi, who is a widely published writer, equates the spirit of entrepreneurship to that of a hunter’s spirit (mushavi) that is revered in African tribal societies and epitomises a distinctive enterprising and restless spirit with boundless energy. He says this is a spirit that sees opportunities where others see problems and has the courage to create and manage opportunities through amazing deal making and selling abilities. Does this sound familiar?
Prof Mbigi says this is symbolised by the cheetah skin and in its absence, a red and black stripped cloth called “retso” with the red symbolising the blood and the killer instinct or aggression of the hunter’s spirit. In deeper perspective the symbolism of the cheetah spirit is very significant and instructive in understanding the nature of entrepreneurship.
“At 120km/hour, the cheetah is the fastest animal on earth and it has a killer instinct. It means that entrepreneurs should act fast in seizing opportunities with incomplete information. This spirit has a bias for action and a quest for pragmatic creative solutions to solve competitive and survival challenges. The hunter’s spirit has an eye for opportunities, improvement and improvisation,” he wrote.
Prof Mbigi also took a swipe at African governments who invested heavily in Western education and skills soon after gaining independence from colonial rule with very little return on their investments. He criticised Western education for emphasising much on middle-class values of obedience, dependence on employment and clerical jobs, as well as a career mentality which did more harm than good. I agree with him entirely because this type of education tends to destroy the desire to acquire practical skills that found many Zimbabweans in a quagmire when the country’s fortunes took ma turn for the worse a few years ago. What we desire is indigenous African education that promotes social and economic development that in turn encourages entrepreneurship against a wage slave mentality.
Prof Mbigi cited the case of Russia, for instance, which has a highly educated and skilled population but the poor are very poor mainly because of its cultural heritage of communism premised on entitlement and patronage that does not value wealth and creation and entrepreneurship. The American culture, on the other hand, has always respected wealth creation with entrepreneurship on the centre stage. Over the years, the American economy has achieved sustainable economic growth supported creation of additional jobs.
Another interesting perspective Prof Mbigi highlighted is that innovative ideas that drive entrepreneurship usually come from outside the organisation or communities and this may explain the reason why immigrants are very enterprising. As an insider you may be too close to the system to envision different potential opportunities and realities.
Take the current scenario in Zimbabwe and particularly Harare where the locals are shouting that all the shops downtown and even the CBD have now been taken over either by the Chinese or Nigerians. Some of them are actually agitating for legislation to prevent the “foreigners” from further expanding their business interests. But where were you comrades when these opportunities were beckoning? Quiet frankly, this nation does not desire cry babies.
Prof Mbigi observes as thus: “The Hunter’s Spirit is identified early in life with its affinity to dogs, hunting and nature forests as well as its obsession to create value through deal making, selling, improvisation and paradigm pioneeering skills. Hunting songs (nziyo dzechidzimba) and dances inspire the spirit of entrepreneurship. The spirit of entrepreneurship is required to regularly celebrate its solidarity and brotherhood with the community by carrying out regular rituals and ceremonies. The main purpose of economics is to celebrate brotherhood of humanity through strategic partnerships and sharing.”
The whole document made very interesting and compelling read that it sent me soul searching and helped grasp a few concepts that I erstwhile took for granted. The future is indeed in our hands.
As always, let’s make money

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