A Review of Culture, Indigenous Knowledge and Development in Africa: Reviving Interconnections for Sustainable Development

Abstract

Interest in Indigenous knowledge is increasingly growing. Researchers from diverse field such as education, science, and agriculture are investigating forms of knowledge that are often local and also owned by indigenous communities. Concerns about the survival of indigenous knowledge has caused some scholars to think about ways to preserve this knowledge since it is generally orally communicated, and often depends on the survival of the indigenous communities that owns it. Integrated curriculum, incorporation of indigenous knowledge into formal education, and teaching of indigenous languages are some approaches advised by scholars to preserved these ways of knowing. These concerns and suggestions shed light to the fact that indigenous knowledge is part of human history and development, and losing that knowledge would mean losing part of what makes us humans, our ability to understand and face challenges from different perspectives, and creatively.