TITLE:
Indigenous Knowledge and the African Way Forward: Challenges and Opportunities
AUTHORS:
Beyuo Alfred Naamwintome, David Millar
KEYWORDS:
Indigenous Knowledge, Africa Culture, Endogenous Development
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.2 No.3,
March
30,
2015
ABSTRACT: Indigenous knowledge
exists and particularly in Africa and is being challenged as science and this negatively
influences the harnessing of it globally. The study focused on the history of knowledge
as science and the evolutionary analysis of science as a body of knowledge, within
a Grounded Theory approach. The findings revealed that indigenous knowledge is a
body of knowledge like the western science and has survived the custodians of this
body of knowledge for generations; it dictates the progress and the well-being of
the knowledge community. The study also revealed that colonialization and globalization
have negatively influenced the recognition of indigenous knowledge and hence its
utilization. The study recommends the deschooling and reschooling of African’s scholars
who have the potential of ensuring that the development of Africa reflects the African
cultural, social and spiritual context.