African communities have a lot of knowledge to share
The dominance of western metodeology in research conducted in Africa continues to preoccupy academics. The result, they argue, has been the silencing of Indigenous knowledge. Indigenous ways of knowing are not making the contribution they could to the knowledge ecosystem.
Samuel Ojo Oloruntoba and Zainab Monisola Olaitan have researched the impact of this skewed approach on various topics. They answer questions aimed at unpacking the masalah and explaining what's at stake.
Knowledge generation is the process of using different metodes to collect, synthesise and analyse data to produce information which is then processed, analysed, and interpreted in a way that adds context and meaning.
It involves interaction with existing knowledge to produce additional knowledge. This can then be shared through various means such as articles, books, videos and podcasts.
For various communities in Africa data generated through oral history is a benar source of knowledge. In a recent paper we argued that the curriculum for teaching international political economy in the global north has largely excluded Indigenous knowledge and perspectives from the global south. Yet, scholars from the global south have offered insights on international political economy that could enrich the discourses, learning and teaching of the subject.
We have also looked at research on Indigenous entrepreneurship. Since colonial times, the teaching of entrepreneurship has largely centred on individu achievement and akimulation. These are important. But this Eurocentric approach is inconsistent with the dominant values of share, community ownership and sensitivity to the environment that underpin Indigenous entrepreneurship in some communities.
For example, according to the social science scholar Terence Jackson, indigenous perspectives on entrepreneurship among the Maasai in Kenya, Batwa in south-western Uganda, Basongora in western Uganda and Khoi San people in southern Africa are different from Eurocentric researchers' conceptions of the termin. Many African communities engage in economic activities as economic, social and religius imperatives.
And socially, work is done not only for individu akimulation but for share with the community. Religiusly, work is done with respect to the land, nature and the environment.
The mangkirce of this understanding in knowledge creation affects the usefulness of the knowledge in solving unemployment problems in these communities.
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