Tate Bikuwe's African Leadership Legacy
Ubuntu Without Borders
My grandmother, Tate Bikuwe, led the way. Before I was born, she was already an entrepreneur and went on to become one of the most respected vendors at Virunga Market in the Democratic Republic of Congo.Â
What is Ubuntu?
Ubuntu African Leadership Philosophy is an ancient African framing for life that teaches us “I am because we are” – recognizing that our individual wellbeing is inseparable from our community’s wellbeing. This profound philosophy forms the foundation of everything we do at Positively Africana By Aimee Brand.
Our Ubuntu Foundation
Ubuntu African Leadership Philosophy Initiative
Our Ubuntu African Leadership Philosophy Initiative honors this ancestral wisdom by integrating authentic African leadership principles into modern business practices. Through this initiative, we create spaces where Ubuntu African Leadership Philosophy comes alive – building genuine community, practicing gift economy principles, and fostering cultural bridge-building that transcends boundaries.
At the heart of our Ubuntu Foundation is the story of my grandmother, Tate Bikuwe, whose entrepreneurial determination and Ubuntu wisdom in the Democratic Republic of the Congo planted the seeds for what would become our nationwide Ubuntu movement. Her legacy lives on through every aspect of our business, continuing the Ubuntu African Leadership Philosophy tradition I inherited from her.
The Sacred Ubuntu Teachings
of Tate Bikuwe
In the bustling Virunga market located in the city of Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, where I grew up, my grandmother earned her beloved nickname through the entrepreneurial determination and unwavering perseverance she brought to everything she touched. “Bikuwe bikuwe,” she would say – “let it be” – as she built her business with patient acceptance, divine trust, and the relentless spirit that made her a respected entrepreneur in our community.
The marketplace traders began calling her TateBikuwe because she embodied this philosophy completely while demonstrating the kind of entrepreneurial determination that inspired everyone around her. She understood that lasting Ubuntu community flows naturally when we trust the process, work with perseverance, and allow authentic connections to unfold through consistent action.
Her entrepreneurial spirit was legendary in Virunga market. Day after day, she would arrive before dawn, arrange her goods with care, and greet each customer not as a transaction, but as family. “Habari za asubuhi, my sister,” she would say in Swahili, her hands touching her heart in the traditional gesture of Ubuntu recognition.
Ubuntu Wisdom Rooted in Entrepreneurial Determination
Ubuntu African Leadership Philosophy flows from the deepest wells of African wisdom, passed down through generations of our ancestors who understood that individual prosperity without community wellbeing is meaningless. In our Congolese tradition, Ubuntu isn’t just philosophy – it’s the living breath of how we exist in relationship with each other and the world.
Tate Bikuwe taught me Ubuntu principles through the rhythms of her entrepreneurial life, always with her gentle reminder: “Bikuwe bikuwe, my granddaughter. Let Ubuntu flow through your business naturally, work with determination, and great things will happen.”
She showed me that "Muntu ni muntu kwa watu" - A person is a person through other people - as she shared her food with neighbors, even when business was slow.
She showed me that “Muntu ni muntu kwa watu” – A person is a person through other people – as she shared her food with neighbors, even when business was slow. Her entrepreneurial perseverance never wavered, even during difficult times.
In Virunga market, her entrepreneurial determination built networks of women traders who supported each other through Ubuntu economics – when one succeeded, all succeeded. She organized collective buying, shared market intelligence, and created systems of mutual support that sustained entire families.
Ubuntu Tested by Fire
The Nyiragongo Volcanic Eruption and Refugee Camp
When Mount Nyiragongo erupted on January 17, 2002, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it forever changed our lives and forced us from our homes in Goma. The eruption killed dozens, swallowed buildings, and forced hundreds of thousands to flee the town of Goma as lava flows continued into Lake Kivu. In the refugee camp that followed this devastating natural disaster, I witnessed both Ubuntu African Leadership Philosophy and my grandmother’s entrepreneurial determination in their most powerful forms.
As volcanic ash settled around us and uncertainty filled the air, Tate Bikuwe‘s Ubuntu teachings and entrepreneurial spirit became our survival and our hope. My mother and grandmother showed me what Ubuntu truly means when everything else is stripped away.
They would wake before dawn to check on elderly strangers, sharing our meager rations with families who had even less.Â
Tate Bikuwe also immediately began organizing – creating systems for food distribution, establishing informal markets for trading necessities, and building the community structures that would sustain us.
The mountain took our houses, but it cannot take our Ubuntu or our determination to rebuild. This is why we will survive...
In that refugee camp, strangers became sisters, neighbors became lifelines, and Ubuntu became the invisible thread that held our displaced community together. My mother, a nurse, had brought emergency medical kits with her and would treat strangers in the refugee camp, providing medicine when they were sick.Â
Tate Bikuwe would cook meals for everyone, checking on neighbors to see if they had food. We took care of each other, building a community at the refugee camp that was beyond extraordinary. We had each other. When TateBikuwe‘s arthritis flared from sleeping on the ground, young men she had never spoken to built her a more comfortable shelter.
“You see, Aimee,” Tate Bikuwe said as we watched the volcanic glow on the horizon, “the mountain took our houses, but it cannot take our Ubuntu or our determination to rebuild. This is why we will survive – because we understand that I am because we are, and because we never stop working to build community.”
Mount Nyiragongo.
The eruption on January 17, 2002, changed our lives forever.
Hot smouldering earth everywhere.
The aftermath of the eruption.
The Sacred Vision Born from Ashes
This ubuntu will flow through your hands...
It was in that refugee camp, surrounded by volcanic ash and uncertainty following the January 2002 Nyiragongo eruption, that Tate Bikuwe shared her most powerful vision with me. One evening, as we sat watching the distant glow of Mount Nyiragongo, she took my hands in hers – hands now roughened by refugee camp life but still gentle with Ubuntu love and strong with entrepreneurial determination.
“Aimee,” she said, speaking the name she had given me at birth, “the ancestors speak to me even here, especially here. They show me that this Ubuntu we practice in this camp – this caring for strangers as family, this sharing when we have nothing, this building community from ashes through determination and perseverance – this Ubuntu will flow through your hands to heal hearts in lands I cannot imagine.”
She pointed toward the horizon where the volcano still glowed, its power a reminder that destruction can also create new life. “One day, you will carry this refugee camp Ubuntu – this pure Ubuntu born from crisis and sustained by perseverance – to communities across the world.”
Then she smiled with the wisdom and determination that had sustained us through displacement. “Remember, my beloved granddaughter – bikuwebikuwe. Let Ubuntu work through you naturally, but also work with the same entrepreneurial determination that built our market community and rebuilt our refugee camp community.”
My Journey
Continuing the Ubuntu African Leadership Philosophy Legacy
When I immigrated to America and later graduated from Mount Holyoke College, I carried Tate Bikuwe’s wisdom like sacred seeds in my heart – both her Ubuntu African Leadership Philosophy and her entrepreneurial determination. Her words “bikuwebikuwe” and her example of perseverance became my guiding principles as I built what would become Positively Africana By Aimee Brand.
Just as she had allowed Ubuntu community to flow naturally in Virunga market while working with relentless determination to build her business, I began building mine in America by trusting the process while maintaining entrepreneurial perseverance.
Today, every customer transformation across all 50 states proves that Tate Bikuwe’s “bikuwe bikuwe” wisdom combined with entrepreneurial determination transcends geography, culture, and time. Her patient trust in Ubuntu’s natural flow, supported by unwavering perseverance, now spans a continent, touching hearts she could only dream of reaching.
Ubuntu African Leadership Philosophy
Activated at Positively Africana By Aimee Brand
Tate Bikuwe’s spirit guides every aspect of our community building, always guided by “bikuwebikuwe” and sustained by entrepreneurial determination:
Our Customer Relationships
Like Tate Bikuwe greeting each person in Virunga market as family while building a thriving business, we let Ubuntu community develop naturally through authentic connection rooted in African hospitality traditions, working with determination to serve every customer excellently.
Our Team Culture
When team members like Elisha and Lauren thrive personally and professionally, our entire Ubuntu community benefits through shared success, letting strength build naturally through mutual support while maintaining the entrepreneurial determination that drives continuous growth.
Our Artisan Partnerships
Our 25% profit sharing with Congo women artisans reflects both the gift economy principles Tate Bikuwe practiced and her entrepreneurial determination to create sustainable systems, where abundance flows in circles of reciprocity while building lasting economic empowerment.
Our Community Building
Through monthly Community Nights and African Women Community Gatherings, we recreate the sacred spaces where Ubuntu wisdom was traditionally shared and celebrated, allowing bonds to form naturally through consistent gathering.
Living Ubuntu Traditions in Modern America
Honoring African Cultural Traditions, Building Bridges
Monthly Community Gatherings
Like the traditional palaver meetings under the mango tree and the organized community systems Tate Bikuwe created, we create spaces for collective wisdom sharing and Ubuntu decision making.
Ancestral Reverence
We begin important meetings by honoring our ancestors, acknowledging that their wisdom and entrepreneurial determination flow through our work.
Storytelling Tradition
Gift Economy Practice
The Ubuntu Community Legacy Tate Bikuwe Built
This Is What Ubuntu Without Borders Looks Like...
This is what Ubuntu without borders looks like through Tate Bikuwe’s ancestral vision, guided by “bikuwe bikuwe” and built through entrepreneurial determination:
Economic practices that benefit entire communities, reflecting her gift economy wisdom combined with entrepreneurial systems that allow abundance to flow naturally while creating sustainable prosperity.
Leadership that serves collective wellbeing, following her palaver tradition of inclusive decision making combined with the entrepreneurial determination to implement community decisions effectively.
Cultural exchange that honors both African wisdom and local traditions, as she Tate Bikuwe when welcoming people from different tribes to her market stall while building systems that sustained cross-cultural connection.
Every Ubuntu connection we create honors TateBikuwe’s vision of community building that transcends any boundary while staying rooted in African cultural wisdom and entrepreneurial determination.
How You Can Play Your Part
Your Place in Tate Bikuwe's Ubuntu and Entrepreneurial Legacy
Personal Transformation
Through Ubuntu African Leadership Philosophy
- Understanding interconnectedness through African wisdom traditions while developing the determination to act on Ubuntu principles.
- Practicing Ubuntu principles in daily relationships and decisions while maintaining entrepreneurial perseverance.
- Experiencing the gift economy through generous giving and receiving while building sustainable systems for continued abundance.
- Building authentic community across cultural differences while working persistently to maintain and strengthen those connections.
Tate Bikuwe's Work Goes On
Continuing Tate Bikuwe's Sacred Work and Entrepreneurial Legacy
Every day we honor Tate Bikuwe’s spirit and ancestral vision by embracing her “bikuwe bikuwe” wisdom combined with her entrepreneurial determination:
Serving with Ubuntu Heart and Entrepreneurial Excellence
Like her greeting each customer as family in Virunga market while building a thriving, sustainable business, we serve each community member with authentic Ubuntu love while maintaining the systems and determination that ensure excellent service.
Practicing Gift Economy with Sustainable Systems
Our 25% profit sharing with Congo artisans continues her tradition of abundance flowing in circles of reciprocity while maintaining the entrepreneurial systems that make this sustainable.
Building Ubuntu Community with Persistent Action
Our nationwide community reflects her vision of Ubuntu wisdom healing hearts in lands she could only dream of reaching.
Teaching Ancestral Wisdom with Entrepreneurial Innovation
We share Ubuntu African Leadership Philosophy principles through storytelling tradition while building modern platforms and systems for sharing these teachings.
