Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa : An Overview

Donnelly-Roark, Paula

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE;    COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION;    PARTICIPATION OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES;    DONORS;    PROJECT FAILURES;   

RP-ID  :  18903

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Recent reports document that the failureof projects in Africa over the past twenty years happenedbecause local people's involvement and control werethought to be part of the goal of development, rather thanthe process of development. Many people and groupsthroughout Africa strongly believe that positive newdevelopment can happen, but only if the people themselvesstay in control of their resources, economies, and culture.This capacity for local control only happens, however, whenpeople are allowed to internally work from, expand, andchange their own institutions and knowledge systems. Thus,the opportunities surrounding initiatives to bring togetherindigenous knowledge systems and natural resourceconservation are immense - however, so are the dangers. Itis the intent of this article to briefly define some of thedangers so that they may be avoided, and define some of theopportunities so that they may be more thoroughly andsolidly developed. To accomplish this, the article brieflyoutlines some issues which seem to contain strong elementsof both danger and opportunity.