THE ROAD TAKEN

  

                      INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE AND DEVELOPMENT: The Road Taken                           And The Journey So Far

Woodrow Wilson says, “You are here not merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand”

The above quotation has not only been at the back of my mind but also at the forefront of my mind since I came across it. In fact, I even have it boldly written and conspicuously placed somewhere in my room. And as a result, every day I see it and reflectively meditate on it first thing when I wake up and last before I go to bed. Then, I make an earnest assessment of how much of the ‘errand’ I have accomplished for the day. This is because I do not want to forget this errand, for which if I do, would cost me the pains and embarrassment of impoverishing myself. And to that I say, God forbid evil!

As part of my efforts in adhering to Sir Wilsons’s advice of enabling and enriching the world, I began touring and exploring the wealth of knowledge available in sustainable development. Yeah! And here I am today, studying Indigenous Knowledge and Development at the University of Ibadan’s Centre for Sustainable Development, where I am being exposed to and enlightened about the laudable Sustainable Development Goals, introduced to the 193 United Nation states by the UN in 2015 to last through to 2030. You need further explanations as to my reason for choosing the course? Well, it is simply because of my interest in seeing that any project I engage in, as an individual or a part of an organization comes out a success. And how do you measure the success of a project? It can be measured by the sustainability of the change you hope to achieve.

For the past months I have been enrolled into this program, more than ever, I see the words ‘sustainable development’ dancing beautifully all around me- On my mind, in my note books, in my text books, on my phone screen, on my computer screen, and just about everywhere I go (even in the church!). Interestingly, I say it, I hear it and I feel it all the time! It has become a special and inseparable part of me.  And I’d like to share my thoughts, understanding and findings so far, about this interesting concept. Of all the definitions I’ve come across, I’d share the one I’m most pleased with, which is the Brundtland Report of 1987.  It defines sustainable development as the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Did you really get that!? This actually suggests that sustainable development goes beyond ‘us’ and ‘now’ to ‘them’ and ‘tomorrow’ or ‘future’. In the process of developing, we have a moral responsibility to consider the welfare of both the present and the impact of our activities on the future inhabitants of our planet.

No matter who you are or what your occupation is, everyone has a business with sustaining their environment. While some work as individuals or organizations, creating interventions to improve living conditions in this planet, others are recipients or beneficiaries of these intervention programs. As such, we all are posed with the responsibility of developing and sustaining what has been developed. Now, how do we successfully go about this ‘errand’? Indeed, the concept of Indigenous knowledge and development provides intriguing answers.

Indigenous knowledge (IK) involves local knowledge being passed from one generation to another. It is also called local knowledge. Note that, by local knowledge we do not mean ‘inferior’ but we mean that it is for the people. It is the knowledge peculiar to a people. However, it is not static but dynamic and flexible, accepting the ways of ‘foreign’ knowledge systems to bring about transformational change. Local people are highly knowledgeable about their environment in which they have lived for generations and this wealth of knowledge should be taken into consideration in planning and implementation of sustainable development programs if they are to be effective and acceptable to the people. Any program that ignores this fact is bound to fail even before it begins!

Anticipate next week’s post where I’ll be discussing IK more, in interesting details! Till then, please do not forget Woodrow Willson’s captivating quote in the first paragraph. Keep reading, keep meditating on it thoughtfully.

Enjoy and remain for those to come after you. Live sustainably!