AFRICAN INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS - PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES

EDITORS
Ikechukwu Anthony Kanu
Ejikemeuwa J. O. Ndubisi

First Published in 2020

A publication of The Association for the Promotion of African Studies

COPYRIGHT © 2020 by The Association for the Promotion of African Studies

ISBN:978-978-979-501-7

INTRODUCTION

The fact that every human society has a way or ways of acquiring knowledge and also transmitting that same knowledge from one generation to another is undeniable. Every human society, irrespective of particular culture, religion, tribe or race, can boast of certain knowledge acquisition which is original to them. This claim is premised on the existential fact that knowledge acquisition, most often, has to do with a way or ways a particular society makes attempt to address their peculiar societal problems. This explains why culture is generally defined as a way of life of a particular people. For sure, some ways of life can be said to be indigenous to a people. This explains the notion of Indigenous People's culture.

Indigenous peoples' cultures and their respective knowledge systems have been largely misunderstood or even dismissed by development planning experts in the past. They are regarded sometimes as irrelevant, fetish and nonsensical. However, many scientific and social researchers associated with the formulation of development assistance policies are now beginning to recognize the positive role that indigenous peoples and their knowledge of the ecosystem, can play in the success of development projects and policies. It is reasonable to assume, that important global development assistance activities including; local participation, capacity-building and sustainable resource management - can be enhanced in cost-effective programs and strategies which understand and work with indigenous knowledge and indigenous decision-making systems.

With above in mind, Africa may be an ideal continent to learn about and begin seriously integrating indigenous knowledge with development planning techniques. This book in your hands provides a context for members of the Association for the Promotion of African Studies (APAS) to study and unveil the dimensions of African Indigenous Knowledge Systems, and thus make them available to you (the reader) and especially the policy makers and development planning experts. The book is packed-full with well-researched works from the desks of African scholars. It is hoped that the various chapters in this book will provide the needed paradigm shift for proper integration, internalization and pragmatic applications of various systems of African Indigenous Knowledge.