Image by Kim M. Reynolds

by Chido Muparutsa (she/they)

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The idea of self-care and the different ways it can be practiced are all over the internet. Self-care has been hashtagged over 72 million times on Instagram alone. Although the name ‘self-care’ in and of itself seems self-explanatory, the meanings of self-care implied behind the millions of social media posts are not necessarily universal. Self-care is relative, limitless, and unique to each context. Its mainstream commodified incarnation is not enough and reflects a departure from its original and radical roots. It is reductive and supports the unjustified narrative that if you buy a specific product or have a self-care routine you will be content, more self-assured, and feel well which isn’t always the case.

The idea of self-care and the different ways it can be practiced are all over the internet. Self-care has been hashtagged over 72 million times on Instagram alone. Although the name ‘self-care’ in and of itself seems self-explanatory, the meanings of self-care implied behind the millions of social media posts are not necessarily universal. Self-care is relative, limitless, and unique to each context. Its mainstream commodified incarnation is not enough and reflects a departure from its original and radical roots. It is reductive and supports the unjustified narrative that if you buy a specific product or have a self-care routine you will be content, more self-assured, and feel well which isn’t always the case.

Self-care, when defined by capitalism and individualism, can reproduce injustice and end of leaving care and community interdependence out of the equation entirely. For your everyday person, this type of self-care is inaccessible. More young people, minority groups, and women – are priced out of care, positioned only to revive themselves from the demands of capitalism and made to disconnect from their problems as a practice. There is a tendency for vulnerable people to avoid care as a whole when it is unattainable and unnecessary. This perpetuates a cycle of care denial.

For us at Kuzvida, community care is why and how our brand exists – to co-create dependable relationships in a space where we can build and share resources among each other. All our operations and offerings are an expression of care to ourselves within our sphere of influence/ community care circles. We practice community care by:

• creating a multi-use clean care product range that is better for your skin and the planet
• inspiring the practice of intentional aromatherapy and sensual experiences that add value to your self-care journey
• adopting sustainable packaging methods through recyclable and minimalist packaging
• locally sourcing the best ingredients and hand-crafting each package
• curating intentional care experiences that explore our relationships to self, others and the natural world

Ukama as a pillar of constructive care

We were/are grateful to have joined an engaging space hosted by Ijeruka, a pan-African digital learning community at the end of March. In the session titled Building Legacies of Care, facilitated by the talented Tshegofatso Senne we explored “ancestral knowledge, community care, and sustainable strategies for creating pleasure in ways that feel energising to us.”

The space was more than we hoped for and it felt right for us to be among POC with diverse and overlapping, integrated positionalities and reflexivities. We value that we all come into our self-care journeys for different reasons, have different care teachers and lineages, care languages, and apply different levels of intentionality to our broad practices. Our personal journey was set in motion through space in a matriarchal homestead in Honde Valley in the eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe. Across generations that have existed for over 200 years; our people have been feminists, freedom fighters, activists, healers, educators, leaders, artists, and innovators. It is through these people and their inherent DNA that we acknowledge/position care through ukama.

Ukama makore hunopfekana (Relationships are like clouds; they interpenetrate each other)- Shona proverb

Ukama is a Shona word that means “the state of being related through kinship, affinity, or other association.” As such, those who are related by blood, marriage, or are kindred are called hama. In our culture, there is a tendency to see everyone as hama because ukama is understood as not being restricted to marital or blood ties. As a worldview, it refers to an understanding of life in terms of interdependence. There is ukama between us – individuals within the larger society, us and our ancestors, and ukama between us and the natural world on which we depend – infinite common belonging.

Regardless of how care is understood or defined within different online contexts, we know that there is magic and find affirmation in the application of our indigenous philosophies. Ukama as one such philosophy can be embodied as a demonstration of care, transformative care – redistributing care on multiple levels, and/or constructive care – self-based care that is not chronological, but sociocultural and spiritual. Ukama supports the idea of mutual renewal and transformation, i.e., a willingness to join one another in exploring and practicing ways to address social and environmental problems and make our relating more balanced and mutually beneficial.

We desperately need ukama and each other to not only ground but challenge what care means through our individual and collective experiences and learnings. In addition, to counterbalance the excessive individualism that arises from surface-level care.

Ukama in practice

In reverence to our ukama to each other, our ancestors, and to the natural world we give you our latest collection titled Zvinyoronyoro. This collection was inspired by the support that we need from each other and nature while we navigate the onerousness of life and sometimes our personal self-care journeys. As the word Zvinyoronyoro implies, we encourage you to lean gently into care rituals and practices that allow you to gather the creative energy that you require in different aspects of your life.

In this collection, we have included four products made from a combination of rich and versatile plant-based ingredients that are locally sourced and scientifically proven to exfoliate and nourish the skin. The ingredients feature terrestrial plants like hibiscus flowers and eucalyptus leaves. Carrier oils like shea butter, avocado, hemp, grapeseed, and coconut. Revitalising essential oils such as lavender, rose geranium, bergamot, ylang-ylang, rosemary, and lemongrass. Also, vitamin E and ground coffee beans.

We invite you to explore what your self-care looks and feels like when you ritualise it and ground it not only in an intention but indigenous worldviews and knowledge.

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We are giving away a R1000 Kuzvida hamper, bbs! To enter, simply comment on our Instagram post for this article and tell us what ukama is in your life – how does it show up, how do you create and sustain it?

Entrants must be based in South Africa to stand a chance at winning. We will announce the winner on Friday, 4 August.

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