Indigenous Entrepreneurship and Identity: An Exploratory Study of Entrepreneurs in the Namibian Sandbox

The indigenous entrepreneurship sector in Namibia should be viewed as a facilitator of indigenous economic self-determination and rural community development. The field of indigenous entrepreneurship and identity, especially from the Namibian sandbox narrative, is amongst the youngest fields of study when it comes to academic research. This chapter aims to provide an understanding of indigenous entrepreneurship and identity and how it influences the entrepreneurial propensity of the rural communities in Namibia. Using a narrative identity work lens, the chapter will look at the work of local entrepreneurs in Namibia from the San/Khoe Khoe people in the Hardap Region (Amberbo district). Using a phenomenological and ethnographic research design, real-life stories will be captured and used in conjunction with participant observation. The chapter found the San/Khoe/Khoe entrepreneurs of Namibia are driven by push factors such as kinship, social capital, trust, and Ubuntu so that any entrepreneurial initiative in the community can thrive. The originality of this chapter lies in the fact that it gives a critical view of indigenous entrepreneurship and identity in Namibia, taking into cognisance the account the history of the communities, the colonial period of Namibia, and the diversity of the country within diversities.