INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE AND DEVELOPMENT

The course on Indigenous Knowledge (IK) is a back-and-forth movement in methodology seeking to discover and clarify in order to appreciate and utilize the great resources embedded in the people?s local understanding and usage of the world around them. It revisits the past in order to study the core values, beliefs and practices associated with the people?s worldviews that can be adapted as a guide to today's generations. The module equips the student with the skills and capacity to understand the nature of Indigenous Knowledge (IK), identify its uses and the role it could play in the development process of the local and global community. Emphasis is put on African Indigenous Knowledge. The lessons from such studies can benefit everyone, as we look for a more rational and sustainable way to live on this planet in harmony with other fellow beings. Furthermore, in developing countries, where formal education continues to be culturally undemocratic and does not recognize the way the majority of learners communicate, think and learn, IK comes in to reduce on this unfair situation and to advocate for the de-colonization of the school curriculum and pedagogy, through more critical reflection of what schools are actually offering students.