African Indigenous Knowledge System and Environmental Sustainability

Abstract

Observers in international political arena have brought to public knowledge the fact that environmentalism has gradually crept into international politics. This is because of the commonalities between environment and political economy. Governments at various levels, environmental policy makers, have therefore sought solutions from scientific, economic and political dimensions to address the problems while neglecting the important role indigenous knowledge system could play in this much needed synergy. After careful research of some related literatures, the paper emerged with the findings that non-inclusion of African indigenous knowledge in environmental discourse over the years was simply based on the assumption that scientific investigation and findings was the only authentic method and acceptable means of providing information/solution to myriad of problems of the environmental sustainability. It, therefore, strongly argues that solution to these problems particularly in Africa requires a multi and interdisciplinary approach and not just scientific inquiry. It calls attention to the fact that African indigenous knowledge system (which still remains untapped resource) could beuseful, in fostering the much needed culture of ecological responsibility. To achieve this, it recommends a new paradigm to environmental discourse where natural science integrates with African indigenous knowledge to achieve environmental sustainability.