Indigenous knowledge (IK) can be viewed as local knowledge that has been developed and accumulated, over time, by a community and has been passed down over generations. This knowledge is represented in most spheres of human activity, such as in agriculture, traditional and alternative medicine, human and animal health, forestry and botany. The purpose of this article is to discuss how IK is accessed and used by agricultural extension workers in Zimbabwe. The relevant literature is reviewed and the focus is largely on the application of IK in agricultural extension. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used for the article; a questionnaire was distributed and extension workers were drawn from eight provinces. Mashonaland Central Province had the highest number of respondents because the population in this province included ward and village extension workers in addition to the district and provincial extension officers and supervisors targeted in each province. The article shows that IK is relevant in modern-day agriculture and has to receive sufficient attention in extension work. It is recommended that IK be documented and integrated into research, education and training for posterity.Keywords: Indigenous knowledge, agriculture, extension, Zimbabwe.
{"title":"Applying indigenous knowledge in agricultural extension: The case of Agritex workers in Zimbabwe","authors":"T. Mugwisi","doi":"10.4314/INDILINGA.V16I1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/INDILINGA.V16I1","url":null,"abstract":"Indigenous knowledge (IK) can be viewed as local knowledge that has been developed and accumulated, over time, by a community and has been passed down over generations. This knowledge is represented in most spheres of human activity, such as in agriculture, traditional and alternative medicine, human and animal health, forestry and botany. The purpose of this article is to discuss how IK is accessed and used by agricultural extension workers in Zimbabwe. The relevant literature is reviewed and the focus is largely on the application of IK in agricultural extension. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used for the article; a questionnaire was distributed and extension workers were drawn from eight provinces. Mashonaland Central Province had the highest number of respondents because the population in this province included ward and village extension workers in addition to the district and provincial extension officers and supervisors targeted in each province. The article shows that IK is relevant in modern-day agriculture and has to receive sufficient attention in extension work. It is recommended that IK be documented and integrated into research, education and training for posterity.Keywords: Indigenous knowledge, agriculture, extension, Zimbabwe.","PeriodicalId":151323,"journal":{"name":"Indilinga: African Journal of Indigenous Knowledge Systems","volume":"25 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116374371","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article is an exploratory inquiry and focuses on popular and indigenous constructions of reproductive health and some of the antenatal health needs of pregnant women. By working through the qualitative narratives of 15 pregnant Zulu women and women who have had children and their use of antenatal indigenous herbal medicine, the article reveals the tension and dichotomised positioning between Western allopathic approaches and those considered traditional and indigenous. While drawing the necessary attention to the untested and contested background to some of the (potentially dangerous) pharmaceutical properties of the herbal infusion known generically as isihlambezo, the article highlights that equally urgent, is the acknowledgement on the part of the 'orthodox' medical practitioners, of the popularity and wide spread use of traditional medicines such as isihlambezo, and of the importance of the examination of women's popular construction of reproductive health care. The article argues that the hegemonic narrative of the western biomedical discourse appears to further 'push' this faith and reliance on indigenous herbal remedies underground, thus rendering its use invisible against the more visibly positioned and championed Western reproductive health care and prenatal medicines.
{"title":"Constructing Patient and Patient Healthcare: Indigenous Knowledge and the use of Isihlambezo","authors":"M. Naidu","doi":"10.4314/INDILINGA.V12I2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/INDILINGA.V12I2","url":null,"abstract":"This article is an exploratory inquiry and focuses on popular and indigenous constructions of reproductive health and some of the antenatal health needs of pregnant women. By working through the qualitative narratives of 15 pregnant Zulu women and women who have had children and their use of antenatal indigenous herbal medicine, the article reveals the tension and dichotomised positioning between Western allopathic approaches and those considered traditional and indigenous. While drawing the necessary attention to the untested and contested background to some of the (potentially dangerous) pharmaceutical properties of the herbal infusion known generically as isihlambezo, the article highlights that equally urgent, is the acknowledgement on the part of the 'orthodox' medical practitioners, of the popularity and wide spread use of traditional medicines such as isihlambezo, and of the importance of the examination of women's popular construction of reproductive health care. The article argues that the hegemonic narrative of the western biomedical discourse appears to further 'push' this faith and reliance on indigenous herbal remedies underground, thus rendering its use invisible against the more visibly positioned and championed Western reproductive health care and prenatal medicines.","PeriodicalId":151323,"journal":{"name":"Indilinga: African Journal of Indigenous Knowledge Systems","volume":"20 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2013-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114280228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article seeks to highlight the importance of using oral history and oral tradition in presenting history as a reality. It shows how the use of oral sources – oral evidence and oral testimony – can help historians re-write South African history, dispelling myths that characterise our past. The repetition of the orthodox version of history necessitates the use of the voices of the voiceless people who had acquired information from their forebears, contemporaries, witnesses or participants in the past events. Challenges and opportunities that impact on oral research are brought to surface. This article shows that oral history can rectify or close gaps in historical narratives and that oral research can contradict with written sources. It discusses how and why oral sources should be subjected to critical analysis in order to produce a balanced historical narrative. It provides researchers with the essential ways of using oral sources, identifying interviewees, conducting oral interviews, comparing with written sources, weighing up evidence and putting each informant under a microscope and ask the following questions: 1. Who was s/he? 2. Could s/he have known the truth? 3. Did s/he want to tell the truth? Keywords : Oral history, oral tradition, oral evidence, informants, genealogies, praise poems.
{"title":"Orality : opportunities and challenges, a case study for research in Thembuland, Eastern Cape, South Africa","authors":"Jongikhaya Mvenene","doi":"10.4314/INDILINGA.V12I1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/INDILINGA.V12I1","url":null,"abstract":"This article seeks to highlight the importance of using oral history and oral tradition in presenting history as a reality. It shows how the use of oral sources – oral evidence and oral testimony – can help historians re-write South African history, dispelling myths that characterise our past. The repetition of the orthodox version of history necessitates the use of the voices of the voiceless people who had acquired information from their forebears, contemporaries, witnesses or participants in the past events. Challenges and opportunities that impact on oral research are brought to surface. This article shows that oral history can rectify or close gaps in historical narratives and that oral research can contradict with written sources. It discusses how and why oral sources should be subjected to critical analysis in order to produce a balanced historical narrative. It provides researchers with the essential ways of using oral sources, identifying interviewees, conducting oral interviews, comparing with written sources, weighing up evidence and putting each informant under a microscope and ask the following questions: 1. Who was s/he? 2. Could s/he have known the truth? 3. Did s/he want to tell the truth? Keywords : Oral history, oral tradition, oral evidence, informants, genealogies, praise poems.","PeriodicalId":151323,"journal":{"name":"Indilinga: African Journal of Indigenous Knowledge Systems","volume":"46 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2013-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115206832","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Indigenous games in South Africa risk extinction. The threat is created by the fact that old people in South Africa do not have enough time to transfer their skills and knowledge of indigenous games to the younger generation. The focus of this article is on identifying some of the problem areas regarding indigenous games. An attempt has been made to identify some of the indigenous games played in Southern Africa with the view of showing how they were played. Perspectives from various people in southern Africa have been explored with the view of showing the importance of playing indigenous as well as problem areas. In the final analysis some solutions to the problem are being suggested as well as recommendations. The article concludes by providing an overview of the discussion and how the games may be salvaged from the ravages of time's inexorable march.
{"title":"The importance of indigenous games: the selected cases of indigenous games in South Africa","authors":"D. Bogopa","doi":"10.4314/INDILINGA.V11I2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/INDILINGA.V11I2","url":null,"abstract":"Indigenous games in South Africa risk extinction. The threat is created by the fact that old people in South Africa do not have enough time to transfer their skills and knowledge of indigenous games to the younger generation. The focus of this article is on identifying some of the problem areas regarding indigenous games. An attempt has been made to identify some of the indigenous games played in Southern Africa with the view of showing how they were played. Perspectives from various people in southern Africa have been explored with the view of showing the importance of playing indigenous as well as problem areas. In the final analysis some solutions to the problem are being suggested as well as recommendations. The article concludes by providing an overview of the discussion and how the games may be salvaged from the ravages of time's inexorable march.","PeriodicalId":151323,"journal":{"name":"Indilinga: African Journal of Indigenous Knowledge Systems","volume":"52 ","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114085247","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Indigenous Knowledge (IK) has for millennia been an integral part for maintaining and strengthening sustainable livelihood opportunities within local communities, the world over. Application of this knowledge in specific different areas continues to be part of practices in these communities, albeit with challenges imposed by systems of colonial education and religion, apartheid and the emerging global knowledge economy. Therefore, the imperative to re-discover and re-store IK cannot be underestimated since building on this knowledge is particularly effective in helping to reach those living in rural communities. This knowledge is often the main asset they control, and certainly one with which they are more familiar. The case studies discussed in this article point to significant improvements in development projects when IK is utilized. These case studies also indicate that imposing the emerging global knowledge economy and Eurocentric knowledge systems on rural development will not only serve to destroy IK, but will also undermine conditions that allow this knowledge to contribute to sustainable livelihoods. In this article I examine the concept of indigenous knowledge and how it differs from western knowledge; ways to strengthen sustainable livelihood opportunities within rural communities; models and case studies that demonstrate the significance of IK; challenges in the protection and preservation of IK within rural communities in Africa, and ethical considerations. Finally, I present a discussion of limitations and possibilities of IK within rural communities of the Eastern Cape Province, and concluding remarks. Keywords : Indigenous and western knowledge, social construction, colonial/apartheid, global knowledge economy, sustainable livelihoods, ethical issues.
{"title":"Re-discovering Indigenous Knowledge - ulwazi lwemveli for strengthening sustainable livelihood opportunities within rural contexts in the Eastern Cape Province","authors":"N. Goduka","doi":"10.4314/indilinga.v11i1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/indilinga.v11i1","url":null,"abstract":"Indigenous Knowledge (IK) has for millennia been an integral part for maintaining and strengthening sustainable livelihood opportunities within local communities, the world over. Application of this knowledge in specific different areas continues to be part of practices in these communities, albeit with challenges imposed by systems of colonial education and religion, apartheid and the emerging global knowledge economy. Therefore, the imperative to re-discover and re-store IK cannot be underestimated since building on this knowledge is particularly effective in helping to reach those living in rural communities. This knowledge is often the main asset they control, and certainly one with which they are more familiar. The case studies discussed in this article point to significant improvements in development projects when IK is utilized. These case studies also indicate that imposing the emerging global knowledge economy and Eurocentric knowledge systems on rural development will not only serve to destroy IK, but will also undermine conditions that allow this knowledge to contribute to sustainable livelihoods. In this article I examine the concept of indigenous knowledge and how it differs from western knowledge; ways to strengthen sustainable livelihood opportunities within rural communities; models and case studies that demonstrate the significance of IK; challenges in the protection and preservation of IK within rural communities in Africa, and ethical considerations. Finally, I present a discussion of limitations and possibilities of IK within rural communities of the Eastern Cape Province, and concluding remarks. Keywords : Indigenous and western knowledge, social construction, colonial/apartheid, global knowledge economy, sustainable livelihoods, ethical issues.","PeriodicalId":151323,"journal":{"name":"Indilinga: African Journal of Indigenous Knowledge Systems","volume":"212 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"117292419","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The article is based on a study that aimed at identifying indigenous foods in the Limpopo Province that are believed to have health benefits and to analyse the omega-3-fatty acid content of the selected identified foods. The objectives of this study were to identify the indigenous foods believed to have health benefits with possible functional properties, to determine the different ailments that these foods were used for, and to analyse the omega-3-fatty acid content of the identified indigenous foods. The study population consisted of 46 women whose ages were above 60 years old. The participants were recruited from four districts in the Limpopo Province namely Waterberg, Vhembe, Mopani and Sekhukhune. Focus group discussions were held, wherein an interview schedule was used to lead the discussions. The data was analysed using thematic analysis. The fresh raw food samples were collected and taken to the CSIR for chemical analysis of bioactive compounds. The results of the study revealed that some indigenous green leafy vegetables have a high content of omega-3-fatty acids per fatty acid content. Indigenous foods were taken for their functional properties. Food items like Mormodica balsamina were identified to treat and prevent hypertension and diabetes mellitus. The food item is known as Mokhutsega in Northern Sotho, Nkaka in Xitsonga and Tshibavhi in Tshivenda. Some of the food items that were mentioned to treat diseases were Amaranthus thurnbergii and Cajanus cajan for the prevention of constipation. Donkey milk was taken to treat whooping cough. Of the seven indigenous foods analysed, six of them were green leafy vegetables and one was a fruit. The samples were analysed for omega-3-fatty acid content. The green leafy vegetables were found to contain omega-3-fatty acids. Linolenic acid, which has 18 carbon chains and three double bonds, was found to be the most abundant omega-3-fatty acid found in plant foods. The omega-3-fatty acids are said to be a factor in HDL concentration, thereby confirming the lowering of coronary heart diseases by green leafy vegetables.
{"title":"Health benefits and omega-3-fatty acid content of selected indigenous foods in the Limpopo Province, South Africa","authors":"Serfora Mare Makuse, Xikombisa G. Mbhenyane","doi":"10.4314/INDILINGA.V10I2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/INDILINGA.V10I2","url":null,"abstract":"The article is based on a study that aimed at identifying indigenous foods in the Limpopo Province that are believed to have health benefits and to analyse the omega-3-fatty acid content of the selected identified foods. The objectives of this study were to identify the indigenous foods believed to have health benefits with possible functional properties, to determine the different ailments that these foods were used for, and to analyse the omega-3-fatty acid content of the identified indigenous foods. \u0000The study population consisted of 46 women whose ages were above 60 years old. The participants were recruited from four districts in the Limpopo Province namely Waterberg, Vhembe, Mopani and Sekhukhune. Focus group discussions were held, wherein an interview schedule was used to lead the discussions. The data was analysed using thematic analysis. The fresh raw food samples were collected and taken to the CSIR for chemical analysis of bioactive compounds. \u0000The results of the study revealed that some indigenous green leafy vegetables have a high content of omega-3-fatty acids per fatty acid content. Indigenous foods were taken for their functional properties. Food items like Mormodica balsamina were identified to treat and prevent hypertension and diabetes mellitus. The food item is known as Mokhutsega in Northern Sotho, Nkaka in Xitsonga and Tshibavhi in Tshivenda. Some of the food items that were mentioned to treat diseases were Amaranthus thurnbergii and Cajanus cajan for the prevention of constipation. Donkey milk was taken to treat whooping cough. Of the seven indigenous foods analysed, six of them were green leafy vegetables and one was a fruit. The samples were analysed for omega-3-fatty acid content. The green leafy vegetables were found to contain omega-3-fatty acids. Linolenic acid, which has 18 carbon chains and three double bonds, was found to be the most abundant omega-3-fatty acid found in plant foods. The omega-3-fatty acids are said to be a factor in HDL concentration, thereby confirming the lowering of coronary heart diseases by green leafy vegetables.","PeriodicalId":151323,"journal":{"name":"Indilinga: African Journal of Indigenous Knowledge Systems","volume":"47 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114281425","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
J. Lues, B. Ikalafeng, M. Maharasoa, K. Shale, E. Pool
The article is based on a study that aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, behaviour and practices regarding the food safety and brewing methods applicable to the manufacturing of traditional beer as well as consumer perceptions. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 30 informal brewers and 90 traditional beer consumers. The data indicated that, while brewers were still using the same traditional brewing methods, 75% brewed for commercial purposes instead of traditional reasons. All consumers drank to relieve stress instead of traditional beliefs and were aware of possible toxic ingredients although unconcerned. While the majority of the brewers lacked refrigeration facilities, improper hygiene practices did not appear to be the result of a lack of infrastructure. Fifty-five percent of brewers washed the containers when dirty, while 45% washed them after use. Unhygienic practices such as failure to cover the hair and wearing jewellery while brewing indicated a lack of knowledge regarding proper hygiene. There is a need to establish and implement awareness programmes pertaining to personal and general hygiene. This, together with regulations governing the licensing of informal brewers, should improve the general hygiene practices, microbial contamination of the beer and contribute to minimising health risks to the traditional beer consumer.
{"title":"Brewing and consumptions practices of indigenous traditional beer in a typical South African semi-urban area : indigenous knowledge systems, health, illness and healing","authors":"J. Lues, B. Ikalafeng, M. Maharasoa, K. Shale, E. Pool","doi":"10.4314/INDILINGA.V8I2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/INDILINGA.V8I2","url":null,"abstract":"The article is based on a study that aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, behaviour and practices regarding the food safety and brewing methods applicable to the manufacturing of traditional beer as well as consumer perceptions. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 30 informal brewers and 90 traditional beer consumers. The data indicated that, while brewers were still using the same traditional brewing methods, 75% brewed for commercial purposes instead of traditional reasons. All consumers drank to relieve stress instead of traditional beliefs and were aware of possible toxic ingredients although unconcerned. While the majority of the brewers lacked refrigeration facilities, improper hygiene practices did not appear to be the result of a lack of infrastructure. Fifty-five percent of brewers washed the containers when dirty, while 45% washed them after use. Unhygienic practices such as failure to cover the hair and wearing jewellery while brewing indicated a lack of knowledge regarding proper hygiene. There is a need to establish and implement awareness programmes pertaining to personal and general hygiene. This, together with regulations governing the licensing of informal brewers, should improve the general hygiene practices, microbial contamination of the beer and contribute to minimising health risks to the traditional beer consumer.","PeriodicalId":151323,"journal":{"name":"Indilinga: African Journal of Indigenous Knowledge Systems","volume":"75 2","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"120864906","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2009-10-20DOI: 10.4314/INDILINGA.V2I1.46995
Gaudencia Mutema
In the quest for appropriate methods of studying religion, researchers in recent years have fiercely attacked phenomenology for its inadequacies in the academic study of religion. Phenomenology, as an approach, has been relegated to a relic in some departments of religious studies at Western universities. Yet in Africa, where traditional religions and thought systems of the indigenous people of Africa were formerly rendered primitive and at worst, dismissed as non-existent, Western developed phenomenology has been exalted as a method of studying religion. In fact, some departments of religious studies at African universities require their undergraduates to take phenomenology as a compulsory and preparatory course for studies in African Traditional Religions and Thought. Despite the criticism levelled against it, phenomenology seems to offer a better approach to the study of African Traditional Religions and Thought. This paper draws upon the strengths of phenomenology in the study of African Traditional Religions and applies these to the study of Indigenous Knowledge Systems. Admittedly, phenomenology has its own in-built limitations. In this regard, it is postulated in this paper that phenomenology can be used effectively when combined with the hermeneutical approach. Such an integrated and hence, multi-methodological approach to Indigenous Knowledge Systems simultaneously equips the researcher with indispensable investigative tools and facilitates openness and the active participation of respondents in the research process.
{"title":"Phenomenology, Hermeneutics and the study of indigenous knowledge systems","authors":"Gaudencia Mutema","doi":"10.4314/INDILINGA.V2I1.46995","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/INDILINGA.V2I1.46995","url":null,"abstract":"In the quest for appropriate methods of studying religion, researchers in recent years have fiercely attacked phenomenology for its inadequacies in the academic study of religion. Phenomenology, as an approach, has been relegated to a relic in some departments of religious studies at Western universities. Yet in Africa, where traditional religions and thought systems of the indigenous people of Africa were formerly rendered primitive and at worst, dismissed as non-existent, Western developed phenomenology has been exalted as a method of studying religion. In fact, some departments of religious studies at African universities require their undergraduates to take phenomenology as a compulsory and preparatory course for studies in African Traditional Religions and Thought. Despite the criticism levelled against it, phenomenology seems to offer a better approach to the study of African Traditional Religions and Thought. This paper draws upon the strengths of phenomenology in the study of African Traditional Religions and applies these to the study of Indigenous Knowledge Systems. Admittedly, phenomenology has its own in-built limitations. In this regard, it is postulated in this paper that phenomenology can be used effectively when combined with the hermeneutical approach. Such an integrated and hence, multi-methodological approach to Indigenous Knowledge Systems simultaneously equips the researcher with indispensable investigative tools and facilitates openness and the active participation of respondents in the research process.","PeriodicalId":151323,"journal":{"name":"Indilinga: African Journal of Indigenous Knowledge Systems","volume":"38 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124709058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2009-10-20DOI: 10.4314/INDILINGA.V4I2.46965
S. Ndlovu-Gatsheni
African indigenous political thought on governance and human rights has remained victim to mythology, Western stereotyping, colonization as well as African romanticization. The net effect has been that African styles of governance have either been stigmatized and reduced to a long night of savagery and violence or celebrated as a golden age of freedom and equality. The reality lies somewhere between these two erroneous views. This article re-examines the debate on governance in Africa by means of a case study of the Ndebele state. Of special interest in this study is the kind of governance style that the Ndebele constructed, the values that underpinned it, how it was operated and articulated, as well as the general political ideology of the Ndebele in the 19th century.
{"title":"Quarrying African Indigenous Political Thought on Governance: A Case Study of the Ndebele State in the 19th Century","authors":"S. Ndlovu-Gatsheni","doi":"10.4314/INDILINGA.V4I2.46965","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/INDILINGA.V4I2.46965","url":null,"abstract":"African indigenous political thought on governance and human rights has remained victim to mythology, Western stereotyping, colonization as well as African romanticization. The net effect has been that African styles of governance have either been stigmatized and reduced to a long night of savagery and violence or celebrated as a golden age of freedom and equality. The reality lies somewhere between these two erroneous views. This article re-examines the debate on governance in Africa by means of a case study of the Ndebele state. Of special interest in this study is the kind of governance style that the Ndebele constructed, the values that underpinned it, how it was operated and articulated, as well as the general political ideology of the Ndebele in the 19th century.","PeriodicalId":151323,"journal":{"name":"Indilinga: African Journal of Indigenous Knowledge Systems","volume":"151 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133757017","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2009-10-20DOI: 10.4314/INDILINGA.V4I2.46970
Timothy Clack
Christianity has recently been implicated in the dissolution of the traditional African identity. These assertions potentially establish a reverse discourse that undervalues and peripheralizes the contemporaneous African identity. Furthermore, such postulation fails to appreciate other catalysts of cultural change. The discourses of Christianity and colonialism were not, as is popularly assumed, oppressing in the absence of cultural, economic and material resistance and integrative agency. Traditionality and Christianity are dialectically related, with each system effecting performative change upon the other. Christianity has been Africanized. Christianity has been made morally, environmentally and culturally intelligible. This paper will demonstrate the proactive participatory systems and actors involved in the indigenization of Christianity through case study material gathered during recent oral historic and ethnographic research conducted in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.
{"title":"Re-Africanizing the African: Indigenization of Christianity on the Slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro","authors":"Timothy Clack","doi":"10.4314/INDILINGA.V4I2.46970","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/INDILINGA.V4I2.46970","url":null,"abstract":"Christianity has recently been implicated in the dissolution of the traditional African \u0000identity. These assertions potentially establish a reverse discourse that undervalues and \u0000peripheralizes the contemporaneous African identity. Furthermore, such postulation fails \u0000to appreciate other catalysts of cultural change. The discourses of Christianity and colonialism \u0000were not, as is popularly assumed, oppressing in the absence of cultural, economic \u0000and material resistance and integrative agency. Traditionality and Christianity are dialectically \u0000related, with each system effecting performative change upon the other. Christianity \u0000has been Africanized. Christianity has been made morally, environmentally and culturally \u0000intelligible. This paper will demonstrate the proactive participatory systems and actors \u0000involved in the indigenization of Christianity through case study material gathered during \u0000recent oral historic and ethnographic research conducted in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.","PeriodicalId":151323,"journal":{"name":"Indilinga: African Journal of Indigenous Knowledge Systems","volume":"49 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121968912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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