Towards a Yoruba Indigenous Model of Communication for Software Development in Digital Humanities

Abstract

Drawing insight from Toyin Falola’s call for African scholars to Africanize knowledge, this article argues for reviewing the digital technological tools used for African Studies research to process and present African data properly. To achieve this, the inadequacies of digital humanities (DH) for specific areas of African Studies will be highlighted, especially in the deployment of digital humanities tools. The major challenge is the distortion and constraint experienced in processing and presenting research through DH means of translation and communication. The article argues that such technological limitation has its root in the incompatibility of the epistemological frameworks within which those digital tools were developed. The article discusses Ojú lòrówà (‘discussion is in the eye’), that is, ‘communication takes place when we see physically’ – a theory of communication in African society used as a model to highlight the importance of African context to African scholars in their exploration of African history, technology, culture, philosophy and tradition. The indigenous theory is an appropriate model for developing digital and virtual software for African scholars in human communication. The article concludes by urging scholars in African Studies to ensure that the digital tools employed in African Studies can collect data and process and present data adequately without losing the original meaning or sense.