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NewsDay

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Integrating indigenous knowledge systems, climate change with multimedia technologies

Columnists
THE climate change impacts and challenges have provided new dimensions and perspectives of thinking, possible integrative solutions as well as revisiting the once relegated indigenous knowledge systems

THE climate change impacts and challenges have provided new dimensions and perspectives of thinking, possible integrative solutions as well as revisiting the once relegated indigenous knowledge systems (IKS).

In this regard, the integration of indigenous knowledge systems, climate change and multimedia communication will bring new impetuses to the already costly fight against climate change. This came after the realisation that indigenous knowledge systems are user friendly, pro-poor and cheaper as well as culturally binding.

This has forced climate change specialists to go back to the drawing board to reconsider indigenous knowledge systems as the vital component of environmental conservation and sustainability.

Indigenous knowledge systems are forms of traditional knowledge, local knowledge, folk knowledge and traditional environmental (ecological) knowledge. By definition, indigenous knowledge systems comprise local knowledge built up by groups of people through generations of living in close contact with nature. Indigenous knowledge systems build upon the historic experiences of local people and adapts to social, economic, environmental, spiritual and political change.

Multimedia communication, which is viewed as entailing community radios, satellites, computers, cellphones, cameras, video recorders, the Internet, social and print media, just to mention a few, as well as oramedia (storytelling and folklore) were identified as cost-cutting measures. They save money, time and reduce distances and are easy to work with.

Indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) passed down information and wealth of knowledge about changing landscapes through hundreds of generations for no charge at all. The integration of these discourses are cost-cutting in the sense that they reduce the costs of travelling, flying, emissions, hosting and funding the various conferences.

Although high level meetings may continue to be necessary, here and there, possibly once a year, some of them proved to be un necessary pep-talks, talk shows, kangaroo gatherings, Mickey-Mouse conferences and to certain extent, shopping trips and sight-seeing around the world.

These have brought nothing except more misery and suffering to many who are caught in the cross-fire around the world.

Video and tele-conferences and a host of other forms of multimedia communication technologies outlined above offer viewers and listeners online knowledge sharing platforms on issues of climate change conservation and indigenous knowledge system activities. It has also been noted that about 95% of delegates who travel to international climate change conferences were excess baggages who did not even contribute anything at all during these high level gatherings.

Whilst these leaders and so called experts continue to be bench warmers and perennial dozers, they always claim lots of money from their parent governments thereby draining and incapacitating their already shoestring national purses.

Indigenous knowledge systems proved to be the resource in the form of knowledge banks and traditional platforms needed to be shared among people involved in climate change adaptation programmes.

Therefore, the integration of indigenous knowledge systems, climate change and multimedia communication systems is not only environmental but highly political and scientific as well. The harmonisations of these discourses enable people who are directly affected by climate change scourges to actively participate in sustainable knowledge sharing platforms that not only bind them together but help to fascinate their sense of community-hood, living and working together.

These are the people who represent deeper underlying issues that require urgent attention but sadly they are not even consulted when decisions about climate change are worked out yet they bear the brunt of environmental degradation and water stresses.

That is why integrative activities are critical as they afford people and communities opportunities to share, interact, build relationships and act timeously. By engaging in local and national interfaces, Zimbabweans will be sincerely going back to the basics.

The environmental knowledge of local and indigenous knowledge is now widely recognised as essential building blocks for sustainable development and conservation of biological and cultural diversity (LINKS). Emerging on the international scene at the Earth’s Summit (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), and through the Convention on Biodiversity, whose article 8 (j) incites state parties to respect, preserve and maintain knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities, the domain has rapidly gained prominence and momentum.

It was at this fora, that the indigenous knowledge systems were re-born, revived and re-launched by the United Nations Economic, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) through the Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (LINKS) project, 2002.

This was highlighted as one of the new generation of cross-cutting projects to heighten interdisciplinary and intersectional action.

Indigenous knowledge systems provide relationships that connect people directly to their environment and the changes that occur within it, including, above all and everything else climate change. Forests were found to hold a special place in indigenous knowledge systems hence they were all well managed and provided timber resources and food to the community together as serving as carbon sinks which are critical in climate change adaptation and mitigation.

In this integrated discourse of conservation, the cultures and traditions of local and indigenous people are also paramount as they foster kinship hood and community participation in adaptive and mitigation activities. The indigenous knowledge systems add value to climate change through creating a moral based economy by identifying and classifying people within their cultural contexts.

Indigenous knowledge systems also provide mechanisms for participatory approaches, which are a major requirement for climate change sustainability and also views the local populations as partners and owners in project management and adaptive programmes. It has also been proved that indigenous knowledge systems have complementary roles with science and technology. In this view, one should not substitute the other.

The youth should not be forgotten in these activities as they can be encouraged to participate in indigenous knowledge systems and climate change conservation programmes using multimedia communication which they are very well fond of.

The youth and multimedia communication technologies are close companions. In this regard, participatory videos put the tools of indigenous knowledge systems and climate change adaptation in the hands of the people and provide ways for community members to communicate with each not only effectively but eco-sustainably as well.

Peter Makwanya is a climate change communicator. He writes in his own capacity and can be contacted on: [email protected]