Part 3: Back to the Future

How we can utilise our grandmothers' ingenuity and intelligence to survive and thrive in uncertainty

This is the 3rd and final part of our series. In this series, we have spent time reflecting on ourselves, our families, and the values that shape how we move through this chaotic world.

I’m still loving Famine by Sinead O’Connor.

All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?

Perhaps you've been on a journey, exploring the profound principles of Ubuntu—living as a person with, among, and because of other people. If so, you're already on a path that leads to something more profound: a path rooted in community, care, and clarity. Your journey is important, and it's leading you to a deeper understanding of these principles.

Now, let's talk about what's next.

Our world, as we've known it, is changing again. We are being called to respond—not with panic but with memory.

Let's be real: recessions, inflation, and political instability don't just pass—we weather them together.

It's time to look back and find a way to move forward.

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Back to the Future

Our grandmothers and their mothers before them endured unimaginable injustice and hardship. They faced colonialism, capitalism, dispossession, and yet, they still managed to feed families, build homes, and keep communities alive. Their resilience is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and serves as a guiding light for us in these challenging times.

They didn't wait for better systems. They became the system.

They innovated. They adapted. Where they failed, they tried again and again. They pulled together what little they had and multiplied it with collective effort. We owe it to them—and ourselves—to lean into that spirit.

This isn't about romanticizing suffering. It's about learning from resilience. It's about choosing *us*, together.

Here's the thing - this is labour, this is effort, this is adaptation. You know, the work of being umuntu ebantwini. It's inconvenient, yes. It isn't easy, yes. I don't know what else to tell you.

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The F-Word

Here are three basic but essential pillars of our grandmother's ingenuity: food, friendship, and finances.

1. Food

Eat Smarter, Share Better

a. Buy and Grow Together

• Not everyone can grow food, but we can buy in bulk together, especially from local markets or small farmers.

• Pool resources—split the cost of ingredients, rotate cooking or shopping duties, and share the output.

b. Plan Your Menus

• Create and rotate weekly menus to reduce waste, avoid overbuying and the stress of deciding what to eat daily.

c. Substitution & Simplicity

• Replace or reduce the amount of meat you consume by incorporating legumes, pulses, and other vegetables.

• Embrace nutrient-rich, Indigenous foods—they are affordable and built to keep our communities fed and nourished. There's so much heritage to rediscover in our kitchens—and so much we can learn from each other.

What can help you eat healthier and simpler while also helping stretch your meals without compromising quality and taste?

d. Cooking Together

• Rotate communal cooking days: buy in bulk, cook together, and divide the meals. This is particularly helpful for batching freezer-friendly meals that make everyone's life a little easier.

• Roles matter—some cook, some chop, some clean. It's collaborative and nurturing. It's also a great way to socialize, bond, have play dates and more - two birds, one stone.

This principle of sharing and delegation can also apply to:

• Clothing or furniture swaps. We really don't need everything to be brand new all the time. Share - swap - sell.

• Shared event attendance: You can't be everywhere all the time, but you can have a system or roster that allows you to show up for each other. This can be applied to co-parenting and caring for children and elders.

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2. Friendship & Kinship

Values > Vibes

In the Western cultural framework, shared interests, life stages, personality traits, possessions and social position are heralded as key to friendship and lasting relationships.

While shared interests and life stages can certainly contribute to a friendship, Ubuntu teaches us that mutual respect, common values, and shared goals are the true foundations of lasting relationships. These shared values create a level of social cohesion that mere 'liking' someone cannot match.

Ugazi—energetic and social affinity is a special phenomenon that influences who we may be drawn to. But who we build with has to account for more than chemistry and vibes.

Family is an excellent example of this. Family members don't always have to agree or get along to respect and care for each other. Nor does it stop families from cooperating in legacy building and preserving integrity, dignity and culture.

3. Finances

Structured Solidarity

I don’t have to explain Stokvels and society saving programmes. You don’t even have to save only for bulk food buying. You can save for anything.

It doesn't have to be significant—just consistent. Be intentional about who you partner with. Trust and transparency matter more than numbers.

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Building anything lasting takes consistency, compromise, sincerity and commitment.

We *can* do hard things when we do them together. These small, collective actions help us:

• Sustain each other through hard times

• Preserve culture and dignity

• Pass on better structures to those coming after us

I hope these reflections have sparked your curiosity about what community means in daily, tangible action.

We need each other now more than ever.

We are all we have ever had.

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Start small by asking your most trusted people:

What do we need most right now—and how can we share the load?

Choose one system to try - which of the 3 pillars feels most doable? Let it grow from there.

This isn’t about perfection. It’s about movement.

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