Introduction Chapter 1 1.1 Putting the research into the Namibian context Professor Kevin Hindle, Professor of Entrepreneurship, at Deakin University (Australia) wrote a parable about an indigenous community (the ‘Angry Group’), a ‘Red’ (Native American) entrepreneur, and a ‘White’ Business advisor. The Red Entrepreneur was making and selling traditional tepees. The Angry Group accused him of devaluing their cultural and traditional knowledge and cultural heritage. However the understanding of the White Business Advisor was that the Red Entrepreneur was making “good money” and his actions were admirable (Hindle, 2008:1 and Taylor, 2009: 20). This led to conflict between the Angry Group and the Red Entrepreneur1. This parable illustrates the tension between the individual and the community. According to Taylor (2009: 20) it also demonstrates what happens when an entrepreneurial Native American creates a successful business, building and selling tepees, but comes into conflict with members of his community who are worried that their cultural heritage will be destroyed. Tension most often occurs as a result of cultural misunderstandings among indigenous people and non-indigenous communities. In terms of this thesis, the parable encapsulates the continuous tension which rural Namibian youth in Arandis face in being responsive to the Western education they receive at school, their own cultural background and teachings at home. Therefore, the problem that is investigated is the lack of skilled people required for development in the Arandis area, and how rural young people can be empowered through entrepreneurial activity in Arandis. Given this problem, the thesis explores the entrepreneurial potential of rural youth in Arandis (see Figure 1.1). A search of the literature reveals that there 1A reflection on this parable is provided in Chapter 9, Section 9.1. 1 are very few articles on Namibian entrepreneurship, and youth entrepreneurship in Southern Africa (Chigunta et al. 2005). This lack of scholarship could be attributed to the limited number of educated people, academics, researchers and lack of management science researchers in the country, while the lack of entrepreneurship could be attributed to many factors, such as politics and the worsening economic performance in the country (Ndegwa, 1985; World Bank, 1988). The insight from the World Bank Report (1988) informs the researcher that improvement in the livelihoods of the rural community is important and that this is achievable through entrepreneurial activity which starts within the community. It is, however, important to emphasise that research has been conducted in terms of entrepreneurial development skills in other countries such as Gambia, Nigeria and Malawi. In these studies, it has been found that for entrepreneurship to be fostered and sustained, people with entrepreneurial skills are needed (Nafukho, 1998). The biggest problem facing Namibia is that it is a nation with many diverse cultures. This is because the country has many sub-tribes, within which inter-group tension/conflict occurs. There are eleven sub-tribes in the country, namely: Afrikaner, English, German, Herero, Oshiwambo, Okavango, Caprivian, San/Khoi-Khoi or Nama, Setswana, Ovahimba and Ruangali. The current community under study for this thesis are the San/Khoi-Khoi or Nama, who live in few regions of Namibia. The particular Nama community for this study are located in the Erongo region in Arandis (see Erongo region in Map of Namibia, Figure 1.1). Very little research on entrepreneurship and culture has been conducted in Southern Africa. This research in Namibia will be of interest to the following readers: • Individuals/organisations with an interest in ethnic, social, community, indigenous or youth entrepreneurship 2 • People who provide opportunities for rural youth in countries with a growing population of young people, and a high rate of youth unemployment • Individuals who are seeking to find ways of empowering other individuals through increased incomes, well being, standard of living and opportunities, in both industrialised and less industrialised nations. Given this potential readership, the main concerns and the motivations for this thesis are: • Expanding opportunities for rural youth, in Namibia, Africa and across the globe • Enlarging and expanding the understanding of entrepreneurship, and ethnic, social, communal and indigenous entrepreneurship • Exploring the cultural aspects of entrepreneurship and the interplay between culture and entrepreneurship • Empowering rural youth and creating better economic opportunities for school leavers. Given these motivations and concerns, this thesis explores ways in which entrepreneurship among Nama communities can be fostered among youth in Namibia. Therefore, the title of this thesis is: An exploration of entrepreneurship potential amongst rural Nama youth in Namibia: The Arandis Village. 1.2 Overview of the Republic of Namibia a) The African context As Namibia is located in Africa, it is important to give the African context within which this research takes place. Namibia is situated on the Atlantic coast of South Western Africa and it shares borders with South Africa, Botswana, Angola and Zambia (see Figure 1.1 below). 3 Figure 1.1 Map of Namibia and Erongo region Source: The Times: Comprehensive Atlas of the world. (2008: 90) Poverty, insecurity, mortality and debility have become increasingly intense and widespread in Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa has incurred debts of up to 25 million in the early 2000s, which is beyond its means and so it experienced a drop in its share of trade and investment in the world (World Bank Data from Econstats: http://www.econstats.com/wb/V392.htm and http://www.econstats.com.wb/V546.htm). With a few exceptions, the future of the whole continent is shaky and many people feel despair (Tshikuku, 2001: 2). To help in curbing this problem, the past forty years have witnessed projects, aid, support and assistance that have been designed and implemented with the primary aim of providing guidance and “creative initiatives” and management (Tshikuku, 2001: 1). 4 The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is a tripartite United Nations (UN) agency that brings together Governments, employers and workers of its member States in common action to promote meaningful employment throughout the world (Tshikuku, 2001: 2). The three primary levels targeted are: local communities through non-governmental organisations (NGOs); the business world within the framework of employers’ associations and chamber’s of commerce; and the State through various types of technical and institutional support for macro-economic management (Tshikuku, 2001 :1). The core aim of the ILO is to promote rights at work, encourage decent employment opportunities, embrace social protection and strengthen dialogue in handling issues related to work. Many other institutions, such as the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, FAO and UNIDO have drawn closer to the aims of the ILO. The ILO is actively engaged in promoting decent employment opportunities for youth (http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/--- webdev/documents/publication/wcms_082364.pdf). The mobilisation of support for the African continent has accelerated since the publication of the Berg Report on the development of Africa in 1979 (Tshikuku, 2001: 1). The Berg Report was published for the second time by the World Bank in 1981 written by Elliot Berg and was titled: Accelerated Development in Sub-Saharan Africa – an Agenda for Action. This report deals with development initiatives in Sub-Saharan Africa. Not much has changed in the continent since the implementation of this report, despite organisations worldwide offering support to African countries. Globally, youth represent 44 percent of the total unemployed, although they make up only 25 percent of the working age population. An estimated 125 million young people around the world are working poor (World Development Report 2007, 2006). Youth employment therefore features as a top priority on the international development agenda and is a major focus of the 5 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)2 (World Development Report 2007, 2006). With the support of UNDP, the World Bank set up the African Capacity Foundation in 1991 (based in Harare, Zimbabwe), which has been instrumental in terms of co-ordinating efforts in the area (Tshikuku, 2001: 2- 3). Similar branches of international support agencies are set up in African countries; however, there appears to be limited mitigation of the challenges so far. The problems confronting the communities and youth still persist (Tshikuku, 2001: 2-3). In addition, the current world financial crisis is an issue that the Namibian government has to deal with. It is against this background of an African context that an overview of Namibia follows. b) Namibian context From 1884, Namibia (see Figure 1.1) was a German colony, known as SüdWest Afrika, annexed by Germany until 1915. When the German troops surrendered during World War 1, South Africa obtained an allied mandate. The League of Nations gave responsibility to the Union of South Africa to administer the land, which was known as South West Africa (Dana, 1993: 90). The Republic of Namibia gained independence from South Africa on 21st March 1990, following the Namibian War of Independence. At 824,268 sq.kms, Namibia is the thirty-fourth largest country in the world. Much