NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

FACULTY OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION SCIENCE

BSc (Hons) in INFORMATION MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY

NAME: PANASHE ELIAS CHITAPI

STUDENT NUMBER: N02160040W

COURSE: ORAL HISTORY AND INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS

COURSE CODE: IIM1206

LECTURER: DR O. WUTETE

QUESTION: Discuss the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)

in the capturing, storing and dissemination of indigenous knowledge to benefit communities.

DUE DATE: 3 MAY 2021

Indigenous knowledge, additionally alluded to as customary or nearby information, alludes to the
huge collection of information and abilities that has been created external the formal instructive
framework. IK is inserted in culture and is novel to a given area or society. It is the premise for
decision-production of networks in food, security, human and creature wellbeing, training
furthermore, normal asset the board (Warren, 1991). Native information envelops many
structures. It remembers social legacy for the structure of conventional stories, melodies, moves
and functions that reflect convictions connected with otherworldliness, family, land and civil
rights. It incorporates possibly patentable information about conventional drugs, food sources,
ranch practices, engineering and development, handiworks, craftsmanship and people music. It
incorporates information about individuals, places, plants, creatures, verifiable occasions related
with a specific local area. Progressively, people group and associations all over the planet are
understanding the worth and meaning of Indigenous Knowledge and the significance of
safeguarding it for future ages. Native Knowledge Centers (IKCs) are being laid out universally,
yet especially in Australia, Africa, Latin America and Asia (Hunter, 2016). The catch and
safeguarding of Indigenous Knowledge are being utilized to renew imperiled societies, work on
the financial autonomy and maintainability of Indigenous people group and to increment local
area-based association in arranging and advancement. In corresponding with the expanding
acknowledgment of the worth and pertinence of Indigenous Knowledge to the present world and
the need to protect it, is acknowledgment of the job that Information Technologies (IT) can play
in its catch, the board and dispersal. Information and communication technologies play major
roles in improving the availability of indigenous knowledge systems and enhancing its blending
with the modern scientific and technical knowledge. ICTs include telecommunications
technologies such as telephony, cable, satellite and radio, as well as digital technologies, such as
computers, information networks and software and others. Therefore, the purpose of this essay is
to discuss the roles played by ICTs in capturing, storing and dissemination of indigenous
knowledge to benefit communities.
A reliable and accessible infrastructure (radio, TV, telecommunications, Internet) is a
prerequisite for modern information exchange. The starting point for economic development in
the information age is the existence of a suitable ICT infrastructure (Ocholla et...al, 2007). Many
countries have made significant stride in rolling out infrastructure to various parts through Rural
Connectivity Project, Woreda Net, Schoolnet and Agri Net, but this has yet to make dent on the
flow of indigenous knowledge. Many people still see the Internet as a consumption tool-as a
means of recreation, information gathering and shopping, but the Internet has been a key
resource for exchange of knowledge. Some attempts have made by different projects to set of
open-source software tools to enable indigenous communities to protect their unique cultures and
knowledge through digitization. Different software tools and platforms ranging from database
management systems, Geographic Information Systems to text and speech and character
recognition tools, graphical touch screens, audio and video editing tools may be considered for
the management and dissemination of indigenous knowledge. Knowledge management tools and
platforms ranging from content management systems to group collaboration tools, synchronous
and asynchronous communication can also help to capture and share indigenous knowledge.
More advanced and new tools like wiki (collaborative authoring), blogging (personal journal,
commentary and online diaries) and podcasting (syndication of digital media for playback on
portable players and computers) could also be adapted to capture and disseminate indigenous
knowledge. However, the application of these tools should be preceded by understanding of the
context of local innovators and those who benefit from indigenous knowledge. Low-tech
approach to IK should be a starting point as the majority of those who use IK system may not
have advanced technologies.
The IKM (Indigenous Knowledge Management) system was designed as a low-cost, simple
robust system to enable Indigenous communities to manage their own digital collections within
local Indigenous Knowledge Bases. It comprises two major components which includes the
XMEG which enables users to describe digital objects (based on an underlying, customizable
metadata schema), attach annotations to the objects and define access rights and traditional care
constraints. It also enables user profiles to be defined (Hunter, 2016). A Schema Editor allows
the underlying metadata schema to be edited – this is reflected in the user interface. Descriptive
and rights metadata and annotations can either be saved to a MySQL relational database or flat
XML files which can be indexed using an XML database such as Tamino or Xindice or parsed
and uploaded to any relational database. In addition to the metadata that is explicitly saved to the
database through the user interface, meta-metadata is also recorded—all changes to the metadata,
who was responsible and the date and time of the changes are recorded within the database. This
represents an important component of the system's built-in security framework.

The Search interface uses standard Web Browser technologies (Internet Explorer, Netscape) to
enable users to search, browse and retrieve objects from the collection. The advantages of using
a standard web browser interface, are their familiarity and widespread availability and the lack of
re-engineering necessary should collections eventually be disseminated over wider networks. To
access the collection, users must have been allocated a login ID and password and a user profile.
The user profile includes information such as tribal names, native or nonnative heritage,
tribal/clan membership, gender, status, role and others (Essoungou, 2010). After a user performs
a search, the system compares the matching objects' rights constraints with the user's profile to
determine whether or not the user is permitted to access this object. If they are, then the object
will be retrieved and displayed; along with any rights constraints, which appear as icons. Users
can click on individual objects to view/play the high-resolution object and to view the metadata
details and any annotations. The system also includes software that can automatically aggregate
selected mixed-media objects (images, audio clips, video clips, text), and dynamically generate a
SMIL (Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language) presentation which is presented to the
user.
Twitter can be used by businesses and farming communities to broadcast their merchandise or
commodities for sale, check prices, and interact with customers and suppliers. This can involve
sharing of indigenous knowledge Access to an Internet-capable cell phone enables people to
employ social media tools to connect with others who share their interests, experiences, and
circumstances. Cell phones are ubiquitous in developing countries because they afford users
portability, personal control, and flexibility (Castelles et...al, 2007). Access to cell phones has
increased dramatically over the past decade. Cell phones can capture knowledge in the place
where it is generated. Even the simplest cell phones provide a mechanism to make a call and
report on knowledge being created. Camera enabled phones enable users to capture an image,
which adds a visual dimension to knowledge. Having both audio and video capability enriches
the knowledge-sharing experience. Access to an Internet-capable cell phone enables local
communities to access relevant local content. Local entrepreneurs have begun to develop
platforms and content specifically targeted to these new users. An example of a successful
mobile Internet-driven technology is the Mashavu telemedicine system which connects rural
communities with health care professionals in rural areas of Kenya. Trained Mashavu operators
use cell phones to gather information about patient health, and they convey the information to a
nurse, who responds with medical advice within a short period of time. Mashavu is as much a
health care platform as an educational and networking platform that leverages the social capital
of the Mashavu kiosk operators to improve access to pre-primary health care.

Google Docs allows users to create documents, spreadsheets, forms, and presentations within the
application itself or to import them through a Web interface. It is also a collaborative tool for
editing among users and nonusers in real time, and it can be shared, opened, and edited by
multiple users simultaneously (Adam, 2013). Google Docs lowers barriers to collaboration and is
a boon for communities in East Africa that may not have access to popular, but expensive, word-
processing packages like Microsoft Office. The Google Docs platform is popular with students
and urban populations. To help users in Africa enrich and shape the content about Africa,
engineers at Google created Google Baraza in 2010.

Baraza, which means “task force” or “council” in Swahili, allows people in countries across
Africa to share knowledge with each other by asking questions and posting answers that may be
of local or regional interest.

To sum up ICT has had tremendous impact in the field of indigenous knowledge management.
The capture, storage and dissemination of IK have greatly benefited from the application of ICT.
If properly utilized, ICT will ensure that the available indigenous knowledge is preserved for a
long time since it is able to stand the test of time. Information managers should incorporate the
use of ICT in their operations in order to achieve this.
References

Adam, L. (2013). Information and Communication Technologies, Knowledge Management and

Indigenous Knowledge: Implications to Livelihood of Communities in Ethiopia.

Castelles, M., Fernandez-Ardevol, M., Qiu, J. L., & Sey, A. (2007). Mobile Communication and
Society. Cambridge: MIT Press.

Essoungou, A.-M. (2010). A Social Media boom begins in Africa: Using Mobile Phones,
Africans join the global conversation.

Hunter, J. (2016). The Role of Information Technologies in Indigenous Knowledge

Management. Queensland: University of Queensland.

Ocholla, D., & Dlamini, P. (2007). Exploring the use of ICT tools for capturing, preserving and
disseminating Indigenous Knowledge among IK owners and users: A Preliminary study of IK
users in the KwaZulu Natal Province, South Africa. Moi University Annual International
Conference (pp. 4-22). Eldoret: Moi University.