Resilient Lifeworlds: Pluriversal Wellbeing, Informal Economies, and the Emergence of Post-GDP Civilizational Indicators in Africa

Abstract

This article examines the emergence of post-GDP civilizational indicators in Africa through the lens of informal economies, relational wellbeing, and pluriversal epistemologies. Conventional economic metrics erase the complexity and creativity of African livelihoods, particularly the informal, communal, and spiritual dimensions that sustain resilience across rural and urban lifeworlds. Drawing from anthropology of value (Graeber), wellbeing theory (Nussbaum, Sen), pluriversal philosophy (Santos, Escobar), and African relational ethics, the paper conceptualizes wellbeing as a multidimensional constellation encompassing ecological embeddedness, relational solidarity, capabilities, meaning-making, and community resilience. Informal economies—often dismissed as “unproductive”—are in fact crucial laboratories for post-GDP thinking. Empirical insights from Kinshasa, Lagos, Dakar, and Kigali show the emergence of hybrid value systems based on cooperation, digital micro-innovation, spiritual cohesion, gendered care networks, and ecological reciprocity. These dynamics provide fertile ground for a new generation of African indicators centered on regenerative value, relational flourishing, and community capabilities. The paper introduces the concept of Pluriversal Wellbeing Matrices (PWM)—a methodological and conceptual tool for capturing Africa’s post-GDP prosperity landscape, integrating ecological data, socio-cultural relations, informal economic creativity, and spiritual foundations of resilience.