by |Khaeb (Shaun MacDonald)
To indigenous peoples, politics has been a key driver of our oppression. It has almost always been laws, of others, that have been favourably used to ensure that the outcomes of actions taken benefit the perpetrator of injustice.
To South Africans, apartheid is the go-to when highlighting this. It was politics, and the laws passed by politicians, that gave the oppressor the “right” to act as it did.
As a result of politics, or laws, a healthy number of the so-called top businesses in South Africa are where they are. To this day, even in the democratic dispensation, the companies have the “right” to practise in a manner that is reflective of the greed and power-hungry actions of colonialism and apartheid.
The companies are happy to report on annual achievements that are profit-driven. And yet, the companies are operating in a space that is considered to be the most unequal from a societal perspective, globally.
This should scream : “Change is needed!”
When observing economies and laws on the global stage, through the Indigenous lens, one is able to find a light and the end of the dark tunnel the Republic of South Africa finds itself in – apt, when factoring in the dire state of load shedding. It is the rights of indigenous peoples that are presenting a case not just for restorative justice, but as an alternative to the nature of business.
International mechanisms speaking to the rights offer the opportunity of co-creating the future that, for centuries, has been but a dream to indigenous peoples. Of the mechanisms, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is arguably the leader of the lot.
The implementation of this mechanism, adopted by the UN General Assembly on September 13, 2007, has resulted in laws of countries being updated to bring indigenous peoples to the forefront of economic development.
For the South African challenge of addressing the grotesque social realities, at least to my professional network, indigenomics (Indigenous economy) presents an exciting opportunity to deliver outcomes to the people, ones that are different to what they have experienced in their lifetime, or that of multiple generations before us.
“The future is Indigenous” is a catchphrase that sources immense value from the past. This highlights and amplifies the lived realities of communities when the natural resources were under the stewardship of indigenous peoples. A life of abundance was afforded to all.
This exhilarates us and drives our daily work because it finds its foundation in our culture. An important aspect is that when analysed against non-Indigenous businesses, it should make sense to others when discussing the way forward.
Global statistics reflect that indigenous businesses are outperforming non-indigenous businesses. Factoring in the multitude of measurements to base this on, the primary contributing factor is the culture of indigenous peoples driving the way business is done.
The difference in business practice, as alluded to above, is that the Indigenous businesses operate on the opposite spectrum of the highly recognised and praised leading companies in the republic. The greed and power-influenced-driven strategies of the leaders of the private sector of the republic, when being frank, act as a primary factor in the country being a leader in global inequality. If by now you have not yet grasped this – the private sector in the Republic of South Africa is a global leader, in its field, of producing social inequalities.
One of the reasons why indigenous businesses are outperforming non-indigenous businesses is culture. As an exercise to highlight this, one could easily hop online and find recent examples of businesses operating in the sovereignty of the republic – for your knowledge, this is different to the sovereignty of the indigenous peoples, as is our right (there’s that word again) – that violates human rights.
Racism is flourishing. So too is ethnic discrimination, gender-based violence and a list of others. The culture of business in the republic screams out for an overhaul.
That overhaul, when again taking the global viewpoint, does factor in indigeneity. The UN, over the past few years, has driven the need to include indigenous peoples in addressing the challenges of individual countries, as well as the global response as a collective.
The value of indigenous knowledge systems is being identified and advanced. From a commercial perspective, the inclusion of indigenous peoples is imperative. The rights of indigenous peoples focus on natural resources.
As an example, to deliver future technology, the minerals needed for this are predominantly on the lands of indigenous people.
As we embark on engaging corporate South Africa, and no longer only the government, on indigenous rights, we are exposed to companies that showcase actions contrary to their alleged stances on inclusivity. This is the case even when one focuses on multinational companies, which would have indigenous policies in other countries, yet do not see the need to emulate that in this republic.
However, as is the case with every fight for justice, there are companies that are revealing themselves to be conscious of the need for restorative justice for the indigenous peoples. These are the glimpses in society one is drawn to, as we address the challenges of an economy that is on its knees. There are allies that are coming to the fore, to drive the work needed for an alternative to the current nature of business in the republic.
We are excited about the future. A future that delivers prosperity for all. A future where the resources of the land and oceans are used to produce an increased quality of life, for all.
* |Khaeb (Shaun MacDonald) is an Indigenous business leader, and CEO of The Khoeporation (SA’s first Indigenous Strategic Advisory company).
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
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