1st Edition

Integral Green Zimbabwe An African Phoenix Rising

    Integral Green Zimbabwe: An African Phoenix Rising by Ronnie Lessem, Alexander Schieffer and Liz Mamukwa is the first book in the Integral Green Society and Economy series, a series which has three overarching aims. The first aim is to link together two major movements of our time, one philosophical, the other practical. The philosophical movement is towards what many today are calling an 'integral' age, while the practical is the 'green' movement, duly aligned with that of sustainable development. The second is to blend together elements of nature and community, culture and spirituality, science and technology, politics and economics, thus serving to bring about an 'integral green' vision, albeit with a focus on business and economics. As such, the authors transcend the limitations to sustainable development and environmental economics, which are overly ecological, if not also technological, in orientation, and exclude social and cultural elements. Thirdly, this particular volume focuses specifically on Zimbabwe, as well as Southern Africa, drawing on the particular issues and capacities that this country and region represents. The emphasis on Zimbabwe and Southern Africa transpired not only because two of the editors (Lessem and Mamukwa) are Zimbabwean in origin, but because Zimbabwe is today like a phoenix rising from the ashes, and has the opportunity to recreate itself anew.

    I: Renewing a Nation: The Zimbabwean Phoenix is Rising; 1: A Phoenix Rising: Towards an Integral Green Zimbabwe; 2: Renewing Zimbabwe:From Myths of Decolonisation to Integral State; II: Activating Nature and Community: Establishing Community-Based Economic Self-Sufficiency; 3: The ‘Chinyika Model': A Case of an Integral Community and Rural Self-Sufficiency; 4: Community–Technology–Integration: ICT-Based Rural Transformation in Chinyika and Beyond; 5: Kushanya Mumamisha: Integral Community Activation via Community-Based Tourism; III: Catalysing Renewal via Culture and Spirituality: Towards a Culture-Based Developmental Economy; 6: Amakhosi: Theatre for Community Action; 7: Nzuri: Drawing on the Rhythm of Africa; 8: Goko Routungamiriri: The GENE of Leadership; 9: Afrintuneurship: Towards Integral African Enterprise Development; 4: Enabling Innovation-Driven Research: Conceiving of a Socially-Based Knowledge Economy; 10: Utungamiriri Uzere: Integral Ubuntu Leadership as Caring for Society; 11: African Knowledge Rhythms: The Calabash of Organisational Knowledge Creation; 12: Zimbabwean Industrial Ecology: Weaving the Web of Technological and Social Innovation; 13: African Holistic Management: Renewing the Soil as Economic Foundation; V: Transforming Education, Learning and Enterprise: Sustainable Development via a Living Life-Based Economy; 14: Permaculture: Nature as a Guide for Community Learning and Sustainable Livelihoods; 15: Co-Creating Chinyika Valley: Towards a Rural ‘Integral Green' Economy Powered by Mobile Communication; VI: Co-Evolving Integral Green Zimbabwe: The Zimbabwean Eagle, Flying in the Sky; 16: ‘CARE-4-Zimbabwe': Towards a Pundutso Center for Integral Development

    Biography

    Dr Alexander Schieffer studied economics, business administration, law and social sciences at the University of St Gallen, Switzerland where he also gained a Doctorate in Leadership. Professor Ronnie Lessem is a graduate of Harvard Business School and the London School of Economics. He has been an adjunct professor at IMD, Lausanne and is now Director of the Trans-cultural Centre and programmes at the University of Buckingham, UK. Both run doctoral programmes at Bethel University and Buckingham University. They are co-founders of the Geneva-based TRANS4M Four World Center for Social Innovation. Elizabeth Mamukwa is HR Director at Turnall Holdings Ltd. Her career is mapped by 12 years as a high school teacher, 13 years of human resources work, and seven at senior management level. She holds an MBA from Nottingham Trent University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from UNISA.

    ’This book is about an extraordinary journey towards an Integral Green Zimbabwe. Full of community spirit, it showcases how working together through a mode of integral research and development may lead to transformation and innovation. Guided by the principles of co-evolution, it results in novel ways of caring - caring for oneself and each other, caring for Zimbabwe.’ Helga Nowotny, former President, European Research Council ’The publication of Integral Green Zimbabwe: An African Phoenix Rising is a truly remarkable achievement by its contributors and editors. Their collective objective of placing on record their diverse and enriching experiences for posterity is very commendable. Any person who needs some invaluable background information on doing business in Zimbabwe should look no further than this riveting publication. As a person who has had the humbling opportunity and privilege of leading a number of corporate, professional, educational, cultural, charitable and sporting organisations locally, regionally, continentally and internationally for over 30 years, as well as serving as Mayor of Harare from 2008 to 2013, I highly commend Integral Green Zimbabwe: An African Phoenix Rising to all those individuals who are not only passionate about the future of Zimbabwe but are also prepared to play their respective parts towards creating the Zimbabwe that we all want and so richly deserve.’ Muchadeyi Ashton Masunda, Chairman, Commercial Arbitration Centre and Former Mayor, City of Harare, Zimbabwe ’This is a very timely book coming as it does when our country faces so many challenges. What I find compelling is the solutions-centred development theme that runs through the book. Often foreign development models are foisted on countries and communities with suboptimal and dehumanizing consequences. The uniqueness of the Integral Green Zimbabwe approach is that it embraces and involves the community - gives them a voice and allows them to engage in the