College of College of Graduate Studies
Harnessing indigenous knowledge in the digital era
"Traditional knowledge systems (TKSs) offer unique, groundbreaking contributions that will help us deal with many contemporary issues that Western epistemologies have failed to address successfully," Prof Tennyson Mgutshini, Executive Dean of the College of Graduate Studies, said at the opening of the 5th Indigenous Epistemologies Seminar Series. The series took place on 25 and 26 September.
The School of Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Studies (SIRGS) initiated the annual event in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. This year's theme was "Indigenous Epistemologies in the Digital Age: Preserving, Adapting, and Innovating Traditional Knowledge Systems".
Mgutshini argued that traditional knowledge systems have historically been undervalued and underplayed against Western epistemologies. "This seminar series offers a space to acknowledge that we are cultivating a much more inclusive and sustainable academic space, regardless of what our preferences are," he said.
According to the organisers, the date for the seminar series was specifically chosen to coincide with heritage celebrations during September, as rich and diverse indigenous knowledge and heritage are in danger of being lost if they are not promoted. Prof Khanyisile Mbatha, the acting Director of SIRGS, welcomed attendees from all over Southern Africa and as far as Ethiopia. The sessions were very popular and about 1 500 people attended over the two days.
Setting the scene for the two days, Prof Patrick Ngulube, an academic in SIRGS and one of the initiators of the seminar series, argued that many people think of TKS as backwardness, but it should be more about the future. "The integration of indigenous knowledge with modern practices reflects the ongoing dialogue between traditional wisdom and contemporary innovation," he told the audience. "While the preservation of indigenous ways is essential, it is important to adapt and innovate with indigenous knowledge systems to address contemporary challenges."
Integrating traditional wisdom with modern technology can lead to innovative solutions in areas such as sustainable agriculture, environmental conservation and healthcare. He continued: "Let us not only protect but enhance and evolve indigenous knowledge for the benefit of all."
Eight academics and students representing four universities offered presentations during the two-day event.
In his presentation "From Rock Art to Hashtags: Queering African Sexuality Epistemologies in the Digital Era", Prof Anthony Brown from CGS argued that diverse sexualities have historically been an integral part of African identities, as evidenced by rock art, cultural practices and social dynamics within mining communities and migrant labour systems. However, the past three decades have seen a rise in discrimination, violence and dehumanisation of non-heterosexual individuals across the continent. This is often justified by a narrative that frames queer identities as 'un-African'. "By reclaiming and recontextualising indigenous African perspectives on diverse sexualities, we can challenge the false dichotomy between 'African values' and LGBTIQ+ rights," Brown argued.
Bonny Ngakane, a doctoral student in the College of Education, developed a model for the adoption of indigenous entrepreneurship in Botswana. During her presentation, "Indigenous Entrepreneurship in the Digital Age: Innovating Traditional Practice", she shared with the audience that her study showed that digitalisation and automation present vast opportunities for indigenous entrepreneurs to innovate and promote their products. She recommended the enactment of policies specifically focusing on indigenous entrepreneurship, training and the exposure of indigenous entrepreneurs to available opportunities such as funding, digital marketing platforms, internal and external markets and available support structures.
Prof Kgothatso Shai, from the University of Limpopo's Department of Cultural and Political Studies, talked about "The Challenges Facing Afrocentricity as Basis for Indigenous African Epistemology". He argued that it is important to revisit and address some of the glaring challenges (also read as stereotypes) against Afrocentricity. Some argue that Afrocentricity has stood the test of time as the epistemic identity of Africans and that the digital age would not easily erode it, but the digital era clearly poses challenges for indigenous African epistemology. At the same time, digital platforms also present significant opportunities for preserving and innovating African indigenous knowledge, he said.
Dr Karen Cloete's presentation, "Rooted Knowledge: Exploring the Intersection of African Epistemologies and NanoAgriculture", sparked special interest. She is a senior researcher at the UNESCO-Unisa Africa Chair in Nanosciences and Nanotechnology Laboratories at Unisa in the CGS and the Nanosciences African Network at the iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator Based Science, National Research Foundation, where her work is guided by the sustainable development goals.
She highlighted how traditional African knowledge systems, deeply connected to land, ecology and sustainability, can complement and enhance innovations in nanoagriculture. This can work particularly well in addressing food security, soil health and sustainable farming. By bridging indigenous wisdom with modern scientific advancements, nanoagriculture has the potential to revolutionise farming in Africa while respecting and integrating local cultural practices, she told the audience.
"The preservation and dissemination of indigenous knowledge in the digital age present unique ethical and technical challenges," Dr Josiline Chigwada from CGS told the audience during the first session on day two of the seminar series. He argued that there is a need to integrate CARE (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility and Ethics) and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles in the digital preservation of indigenous knowledge systems. The CARE principles emphasise the ethical management of indigenous knowledge, prioritising the rights and benefits of indigenous communities. The FAIR principles, on the other hand, focus on improving data accessibility and usability but often risk compromising community control and sensitive knowledge.
This shows the tension between CARE and FAIR principles in indigenous knowledge preservation. Integrating both principles requires community-led governance models, culturally appropriate metadata systems and collaborative partnerships between indigenous communities, researchers and technologists. These approaches ensure that indigenous groups retain authority over how their knowledge is shared while benefiting from digital advancements. This provides critical insights for policymakers, researchers and institutions involved in the digital preservation of indigenous knowledge and emphasises the need for a paradigm shift that respects indigenous epistemologies and the development of technology that prioritises indigenous communities.
Dr Teboho Ngubane from Unisa's College of Education explored the possibility of integrating digital preservation methods for indigenous knowledge into Unisa's curriculum transformation in his presentation "Integrating Digital Preservation of Indigenous Knowledge in Unisa's Curriculum Transformation Principles: Challenges and Opportunities". He highlighted the significance of indigenous knowledge and the urgency to preserve it. He then provided an overview of current digital preservation techniques and their relevance to protecting this knowledge and outlined the university's goals for creating a more inclusive and representative curriculum.
While there are cultural, technical and ethical challenges, there are also opportunities to preserve cultural heritage and enhance learning experiences by using digital preservation methods. He presented successful real-world examples that illustrate the potential benefits of the approach and argued that it creates a more inclusive and enriched educational environment that preserves indigenous knowledges for future generations.
Dr Monica Thulisile Bhuda is an indigenous scholar, academic writer, children's book author, multi-award winning academic, cultural heritage expert and a lecturer in Culture and Heritage Studies at the University of Mpumalanga. She has appeared on TV and radio, and in magazines and newspapers because of her interests in the decolonisation of education, African indigenous research methodologies, cultural heritage tourism, traditional medicine, traditional customary laws and leadership, the promotion of indigenous languages and indigenous knowledge preservation. She has written a number of publications on various subjects related to IKS. Bhuda addressed the audience on "Promotion, Preservation and Dissemination of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in South Africa".
The title of Dr Keaobaka Seshoka's presentation was "Indigenous Epistemologies: Preserving, Adapting and Advancing African Languages in the Digital Age". Seshoka is affiliated with the North West University. Indigenous epistemologies refer to knowledge systems grounded in indigenous communities' cultural, social and historical settings, she argued.
When this framework is applied to African languages, it underscores the depth and diversity of information inherent in these languages and their significance in safeguarding cultural identity and history. She warned that African languages are threatened by globalisation and by the hegemony of English. Nonetheless, digital technologies and platforms provide new possibilities for the documentation and preservation of our African languages. The digital era necessitates the evolution of African languages to maintain their relevance. This entails expanding their vocabulary to encompass contemporary terminology, particularly in science, technology and business.
Intentional policies and innovations advance African languages in the digital age. Indigenous epistemologies provide a foundation for understanding the value of African languages, while digital technologies offer tools to preserve, adapt and advance them. A proactive and collaborative approach is necessary to ensure that African languages not only survive but thrive in the 21st century, she argued.
* By Hanli Wolhuter, Communication and Marketing Specialist, College of Graduate Studies
Publish date: 2024/10/16
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