An Indigenous African Knowledge Framework in Science Communication

By Oswell Moyo

Science communication can be a tool to make science more accessible to Global South countries particularly in Africa. This requires rethinking the ways that science communication fits into African indigenous knowledge systems and ways of learning.

If we, as science communicators, are to help unpack African #IndigenousKnowledge systems and ways of learning, we must rethink the way we communicate science. #SciComm #GlobalSouth

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Keep reading to learn about ways science communication can be used both as a method and as a philosophical orientation in the context of complex indigenous knowledge within the Global South, and specifically, in Africa.

What Are Indigenous Knowledge Systems?

Human communication plays an important role in transforming and advancing society. Different communities in Africa rely on individualistic information that continues to assist them in solving unique challenges – what are called “indigenous knowledge systems.” Indigenous knowledge systems are aptly described as “the set of interactions between the economic, ecological, political, and social, environments within a group or groups with a strong identity, drawing existence from local resources through patterned behaviours that are transmitted from generation to generations to cope with change” (Eyong, 2007, p. 122).

Indigenous knowledge continues to face problems of representation, whether in science or in other fields. Therefore, there is a need to rethink science communication when dealing with issues of indigenous knowledge. Can science communication be a standard vehicle for sharing ideas with local communities facing unique challenges? Can science communication cater to every society? I argue that science communication can serve both as a method and as a philosophical orientation within the Global South nations.

Indigenous knowledge can be difficult to comprehend and understand by outsiders. Consider, for example, the aspect of indigenous medicinal herbs used by people in countries such as Zimbabwe. Indigenous medicinal herbs are an alternative therapy to meet primary health care needs of local communities within developing countries. Such knowledge is often transmitted in the form of oral tradition from generation to generation (Taderera et al., 2018). Oral tradition is intertwined with issues of memory loss, power dynamics, selection of facts and subjective communicative practices.

Given the prevalence of information and communications technology (ICT) that we use to communicate, such as social media, email, and so on, there is a need to preserve oral traditions and other indigenous traditions and systems of knowledge. This can happen by rethinking the way that science communication and science is taught. Science communication can be used both as a method to convey complex indigenous issues to the global world, and a repository of such information, to better represent the indigenous knowledge of the Global South in science communication.

Representing Non-Western Ways of Thinking in SciComm

Science communication must become more inclusive of non-Western philosophies and knowledge. Science communication needs to appreciate and include African indigenous ways of communicating in order to have influence and impact, especially locally, in Africa and its indigenous communities. In order to communicate with Africans, there is a need to have content that is situated within the purview of their worldview.  There is a need to incorporate their storytelling conventions and genres. Journalism news writing guidelines like the cardinal 5W’s and H (Who, What, When, Where, Why and How) stories are most often not in tandem with indigenous communication practices. Scholars such as Chuma (2010, p. 17) reveal that in “African folktales or stories the climax does not come first. But when we write news, everything has to be contained in the first 40-50 words.”

It is easy for indigenous people to be left out of science communication if it is not packaged according to their way of language. This results in misinformation and disinformation. Supporting an indigenous knowledge framework will result in community buy-in, therefore reducing conspiracy theories and rumors which may have detrimental effects to the society. Take for example, the issue of COVID vaccines and vaccination. The world experienced a lot of misinformation, disinformation, and fake news stories, even though they were all disguised under the label of science communication.  In countries such as Zimbabwe, rampant COVID conspiracy theories included bizarre allegations of Western countries ending the world. Developing and supporting an indigenous knowledge framework that values the lived experiences and realities of indigenous Africans can help in dispersing unfounded allegations in science communication, and quite literally, can save lives.

Science communication needs to be packaged in a way that is in tandem with the target population. Culture and context play an important role here. In the case of indigenous African science knowledge and traditions, science communication likely involves a different approach than that Western societies – one that critiques inherent inequalities and global imperial dominance of weaker societies.

The Role of “Ubuntu” in SciComm

In Africa, science communication must be rooted in “ubuntuism” in both philosophy and structure. Ubuntu, which is an indigenous term originating in the Nguni language of Southern Africa, speaks to collective values of the human family with the concepts of belonging, participation, and community (Mkhize, 2008). Science communication must not be divorced from such everyday realities. It must speak to the good of the overall society and appreciate inequalities. For example, it is unwise for research output to be contained only in paywalled academic science journals that most people cannot access. Academic outputs must also be shared widely through means of communication used by local people.

Imagine a scenario in which information is only shared through pamphlets and brochures written in English: the majority of people in indigenous African communities cannot decode the message. Africa is diverse with varying languages, so communicating science in Africa requires translating science communication material to the local languages of the recipient. Science communication must not only speak to the digitally-enabled, English-speaking masses, but also cater to the underprivileged rural masses who speak various languages.

The use of folktales, drums, traditional beliefs and spiritual dimensions must also be used in modern scientific communication when dealing with indigenous communities. Participatory action methodology is a type of collaborative research methodology that brings together researchers and participants to bring about positive change through understanding of social issues. Ethnography, another research approach, also seeks to understand different cultures. These two research frameworks, together, can serve as a guide for science communicators seeking to make the field more amenable to indigenous systems of learning and knowledge.

Decolonizing SciComm

One way to decolonize science communication for African indigenous communities is to undertake science communication with the “subaltern” – in other words, the colonized. Using colonial hangovers of English as a medium of communication, and scientific experts drawn from the West to address indigenous African communities, stifles the growth of science communication within the Global South. Science communicators must work within the local culture and norms to be most able to speak the local community’s language – literally, in the case of African indigenous populations.

Science communication can be an important vehicle in deconstructing and moving past the negative stains that permeate indigenous knowledge systems. There is more that the world can gain and learn in harnessing the power and efficacy of indigenous knowledge systems of developing countries in disciplines of medicine, environmental management and nutritional benefits of indigenous fruits, through science communication. Scientific knowledge must not be shrouded in secrecy known by a select few people who attend universities but must be easily shared and be understood by the poorest of the poor. Practitioners of science communication must not fall into binaries of polarisation and viewing the world using one single line of story; instead, polysemic nodes of multiple realities must be exploited. This calls for collaborations and cooperation with local communities in science communication pertaining to indigenous knowledge systems.

References

Eyong, T. C. (2007). ‘Indigenous Knowledge and Sustainable Development in Africa: Case Study on Central Africa,’ Tribes and Tribals, 1, pp. 121-139. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/208152935_Indigenous_Knowledge_and_Sustainable_Development_in_Africa_Case_Study_on_Central_Africa

Chuma, W. (2010). Western paradigms African media experiences. Rhodes Journalism Review, pp. 15-17. https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/EJC139371

Mkhize, N. (2008). Ubuntu and harmony: An African approach to morality and ethics. In R. Nicolson (Ed.), Persons in community: African ethics in a global culture, pp. 35–44. Pietermaritzburg: University of KwaZulu-Natal Press. https://philpapers.org/rec/MKHUAH

About Oswell Moyo

Oswell Moyo was a research fellow at Midlands State University in Zimbabwe within a multi-disciplinary research project focused on beneficiation and commercialization of indigenous fruits and herbs.  He is an award-winning Zimbabwean journalist who has worked for Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) and The Chronicle newspaper. His research interests include media representation, computational social science, health communication, media literacy, indigenous knowledge systems, and artificial intelligence in journalism.