We initiate and support work that shifts narratives, redesigns systems, and catalyses collective action.
The environmental, social and political challenges of our time do not arrive separately but accumulate, interact and compound. Over seven years, OCTOPI has worked amidst this in informal economies, civil society, urban complexity, grassroots mobilising, narrative ecosystems and beyond. We engage from grassroots to global: Kenya to Costa Rica, Khayelitsha to Southwest Sulawesi.
Our commitment is to the global majority and to building the conditions for a dignified and liveable world for all.
Invisible Systems
Investigating the systemic injustices shaping South Africa’s formal and informal economies.
Rent Control Group
We’re part of a local movement fighting spatial injustice, rent hikes and AirBnB in Cape Town.
Social Design Method
Deepening our study of the principles and practices we use to ground our work.
Community Mapping
Collaborating on a community-led mapping handbook for informal settlements.
We have worked with inspiring and indefatigable movements, collectives, organisations and institutions over the years. They have invited us into vastly different sectors and spaces, and we have evolved alongside them as designers, researchers, problem-solvers and multi-hyphenate collaborators.
CIVICUS
A global alliance of civil society organisations and activists in over 175 countries, strengthening citizen action, defending civic space and building solidarity across borders. Explore our work with CIVICUS.
Little Lions
A Cape Town NGO normalising mental health conversations in townships across Africa by training and employing local young people as coaches - helping children find their inner resilience. Explore our work with Little Lions.
Post Carbon Institute
A think tank equipping individuals and communities with the tools to understand and respond to the interrelated ecological, economic, energy and equity crises of the 21st century. Explore our work with Post Carbon Institute.
Slum Dwellers International
A global network of community-based organisations driving bottom-up change for inclusive cities, connecting the urban poor across Africa, Asia and Latin America. Explore their work.
Schumacher Center
The Schumacher Center for a New Economics is a pioneering centre envisioning a just and regenerative economy - applying ideas locally in their Berkshire, US home region and sharing results to inspire replication worldwide. Explore their work.
Ocean Decade Taskforce
A multistakeholder taskforce convened by UNESCO spearheading the implementation of the UN Ocean Decade Africa Roadmap - mobilising science, policy and communities to advance sustainable ocean management across the continent. Explore their work.
VELA Projects
A Cape Town fine art gallery dedicated to discovering and championing compelling contemporary South African artists. Explore their work.
Grassroots Economics
Culture Hack Labs
A cultural interventions not-for-profit consultancy supporting movements, organisations and activists to shift the narratives that underpin ecological breakdown, extractivism and inequality to open space for post capitalist, life-centric futures. Explore our work with Culture Hack Labs.
The Good Economy
A Brownie Points initiative creating social value through employment by partnering with civil society organisations across South Africa to fund meaningful work that supports marginalised communities and advances the public good. Explore our work with The Good Economy.
EDP
Economic Development Partnership is a collaborative intermediary organisation for public benefit, convening diverse stakeholders across sectors to drive collective action on complex challenges in the Western Cape. Explore their work.
Ubukho Institute
A Cape Town-based institute bringing mindfulness, yoga and African indigenous practices into communities rooted in the belief that wellbeing should be accessible to all. Explore their work.
OceanHub Africa
Africa's foremost enabler of ocean impact entrepreneurship, supporting, connecting and investing in the ocean impact ecosystem through acceleration programs and ecosystem building. Explore their work.
Presidential Employment Stimulus
A South African government initiative tackling the unemployment crisis through public employment programmes and livelihood support - delivering meaningful work experiences and social value at scale. Explore their work.
Transition Resource Circle
An assemblage working to liberate wealth from neoliberalism toward life-affirming systems, supporting the philanthropic sector to embody ontological and structural shifts. Explore our work with Transition Resource Circle.
Goethe-Institut
A nonprofit fostering international collaboration, arts, and cultural exchange through partnerships with organisations and global networks. Explore our work with Goethe-Institut.
National Youth Jazz Festival
A jazz development programme nurturing the next generation of South African jazz by bringing together young musicians, educators and performers each year in Makhanda for intensive workshops, mentorship and world-class performance. Explore their work.
Academy of Digital Arts
An accredited higher education delivering industry-focused, globally connected training across graphic, web, and multimedia design. Explore their work.
Rent Control Group
An activist organisation in Cape Town mobilising residents and tenants to address rising rents, evictions, and housing inequality. Explore their work.
Arkology
A purpose-led studio designing technologies, protocols and systems for commons-oriented collaboration - building the cultural and digital infrastructure for a transition toward thriving, post-capitalist ecologies. Explore their work.
Thembisa Ratanga
A community hub in the informal settlements of TR Section, Khayelitsha offering a safe space in a not-so-safe place, using education, art and sport to empower children and neighbours in one of Cape Town's most vulnerable communities. Explore their work.
Will Ruddick
“Big thanks Leila Kidson and Cara Eyre of OCTOPI AFRICA for helping to dot our i’s and cross our t’s with both a legal ear and artistic eye. I love how they weave in learning journeys and cultural context to really invite people to hear and feel our vision Grassroots Economics.”
Lynn Murphy
“OCTOPI did an exceptional job at creating visuals and graphics to represent complex systems & ideas. Their designs were sophisticated, intuitive, clean, conceptually cogent. They were very professional, responsive, creative, and absolutely wonderful to work with.”
Hannah Wheatley
“OCTOPI was a treasure to work with. They had patience and insight that helped us find clarity in what we wanted. Their different skills perfectly complimented each other to provide us with a very high quality deliverable.”
Asher Miller
“It was a fantastic experience working with Cara and Leila. They did a great job listening to our needs, taking the time to understand the nuance and complexity of our organisation and what we wanted to communicate, and patiently worked with us through various iterations to produce a graphic illustration that articulates our varied but complementary activities in an elegant and comprehensible way.”
