Strategies for capturing, managing, and sharing indigenous knowledge

Abstract

Indigenous knowledge is considered the cornerstone and the survival of communities, societies, and economies. This study assessed the various sources, means, and strategies for accessing and sharing indigenous knowledge in local communities in Ghana. The pragmatism paradigm which highlights a practical point of view that knowledge is not fixed, but instead views research from different perspectives and realism on the ground was deployed in this study. The choice of pragmatism led to the deployment of the mixed research method in this research, thus combining both qualitative and quantitative research methods concurrently, survey research approach, and cross-section design. The study disclosed that indigenous knowledge which is mainly associated with traditional healers and birth attendants, farmers, religious leaders, clan heads, chief priests, chiefs, curators and information professionals, and opinion leaders, largely exists in oral form and is mainly orally and tacitly managed and shared. Coaching, mentorship, apprenticeship, training, and storytelling as strategies for managing and sharing indigenous knowledge usually take place at shrines, churches, palaces, etc. Other strategies deployed include socialization, durbars, poem recitals, festival celebrations, cultural displays, film shows, exhibitions and displays, and outreach services. These strategies remain informal and undocumented. Hence, verbally and tacitly kept, managed, and shared which makes some of the indigenous knowledge to be lost in the event of the death of knowledge experts and holders in the communities. This calls for the engagement of information professionals to facilitate the documentation and formalization of the strategies in the communities. From the study, information and knowledge workers must be engaged to facilitate the development of manuals and procedures to guide the documentation of indigenous knowledge capturing and sharing. Community leaders need to promote and support initiatives to facilitate the formalization and documentation of all strategies for knowledge capturing and sharing.