Reflections on the impact of informal sector tourism on indigenous Namibian Craft processes

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to use a spreadable form of creative expression, bookwork, to illustrate the encroachment upon the indigenous craft process of Namibian master crafters. In addition, the authors hope to inspire a dialogue regarding the value of interdisciplinary research between the arts and business and promote creative expression as scholarly output that can provide additional depth to research topics in business.Design/methodology/approach This study introduces bookwork as a research technique used to convey insights regarding the consequences to master crafters and indigenous craft practices arising from the economic activities of informal sector tourists as “outsiders” – those external to the indigenous Namibian Craft community.Findings In this paper, the authors convey the manner in which outsiders (such as tourists) permanently influence the traditional craft culture of indigenous communities in a largely unexplored cultural ecological niche in Namibia by purchasing low cost, easily mass produced, yet inauthentic brightly colored objects. It is likely that craft processes designed for revenue generation will encroach on the role of the master crafters in Namibian society and permanently redirect creative activities away from the indigenous practices.Research limitations/implications The researchers acknowledge the biases they have, as outsiders, in their perception of Namibian master crafters and craft practices.Social implications The human capital of the master crafters of Namibia is being eroded and traditional craft practices are being distorted due to incentives created by tourist preferences for cheap, inauthentic replicas of the master crafters’ work.Originality/value While some business disciplines, such as marketing, have incorporated the arts into their research, the use of creative expression in many business disciplines has been limited. The authors are the first to use bookwork to explore academic business research questions as per their knowledge. In addition, this study provides a new perspective, that of the outsider, in assessing how tourism impacts traditional Namibian Craft processes.