nd rd2 and 3 June 2010

The Park Hyatt Rosebank. Johannesburg

Tel: +27 11 781 9131 Email: info@asmcomm.co.za www.asmcomm.co.za

African Indigenous Knowledge Systems Conference

CONFERENCE OVERVIEW

Conference

ResearchersAcademic ScientistsMembers of Houses of Assemblies (Members of Parliament)College and University lecturersMembers of Provincial LegislaturesSADC Secretariat OfficialsAU SecretariatEconomic Community of West African States SecretariatTraditional leadersTraditional healersParliamentary Committees : Health, Arts and Culture, Science and Technology, Agriculture, Home Affairs, EducationDepartment/Ministry of Arts and CultureDepartment /Ministry of Science and TechnologyDepartment/Ministry of Sports and RecreationDepartment/Ministry of Home AffairsDepartment/Ministry of Foreign AffairsDepartment/Ministry of Trade and IndustryCouncil for Scientific and Industrial ResearchNational Indigenous Knowledge Systems staffRegional Culture and Language AssociationsEast African Community SecretariatSouthern African NGO SecretariatDepartment/Ministry of AgricultureAgriculture Research InstitutionsAfrican Centre for Gender and DevelopmentProgramme Managers at African Radio and TV StationsAfrican Languages Research Institutions in AfricaEcho-Tourism Centres staffMedical Research Institutions staff in the regionDepartment of Food and Nutrition staff in colleges and universitiesNational Curriculum Development Centres staff

Initiating collective action to preserve, protect and promote the histories, culture, tangible and intangible heritage of our societies.Promote and strengthen African Humanity (Ubuntu/Botho/Vumunhu) through Indigenous KnowledgeLobby for the further strengthening and implementation of AIKS policies by African statesDesign implementable strategies for Intellectual Property rights for AIKSTo lobby for research and research funding for AIKS in African colleges and universities.Recognizing the role of IKS in Agriculture and Food Security in AfricaPromoting, tolerating and protecting Cultural and Linguistic diversity in African countries.Identify different African Indigenous Games and lobby for their preservationReviewing AIKS developments in the SADC and Africa for the past ten yearsRecognizing the role of AIKS in the preservation of natural resources in Africa

Recent research has revealed that there is still lack of widespread interest in the AIKS discourse on the part of politicians, academics and the public; the very actors who could give it any structural impulse. This conference will review and examine policies and developments, around AIKS, that have been put in place over the last ten years; in Sub-Saharan Africa. It will deliberate on regional challenges for regional AIKS policy initiatives. At a recent AIKS summit in Botswana, participants called for a thorough re-examination and revision of current Intellectual Property Protection systems to create flexibility for protecting IK and innovations. Others called on for the establishment of continental and regional systems that recognize collective rights of indigenous and local peoples.

What seems to lack in the SADC, and the entire African continent, is clear blue print on how AIKS can benefit local communities and contribute to the countries' economic development and scientific innovation. The conference will also emphasize the need for promotion of a multi-sectoral; multi-disciplinary and inter-departmental approach to research and development with regard to AIKS. An added challenge to this conference would be to explore new areas which demonstrate the rich diversity of African Indigenous Knowledge Systems.

REASONS TO ATTEND

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

nd rd2 and 03 June 2010

African Indigenous Knowledge Conference

Systems

OUR PANEL OF SPEAKERSDr.Otsile Ntsoane: Independent Researcher University of PretoriaMr. Petersen Dewah: Researcher, Knowledge ManagementPhD Student; University of Fort HareProf M A Makgopa:Head M E R Mathivha Center for African Languages, University of VendaDr.Maitseo M.M.Bolaane: Senior LecturerDepartment of History, University of BotswanaDr.Jacob Mapara: Acting Dean, Faculty of Arts Senior LecturerDepartment of African Languages and LiteratureGreat Zimbabwe UniversityProf Lulama Qalinge: Director School of Social Sciences North West UniversityDr.Sefapaano Gaborone: Senior Lecturer,Department of Adult Education;University of Botswana, Traditional Healer and AIKS PractitionerProf Jose Castiano: Senior lecturer, Director Centre of Post-Graduate Studies and Research, Universidade Pedagogica: Maputo, MozambiqueMs Lolie Makhubu: Senior Lecturer Language & TranslationMedia, Language & Communication Durban University of Technology

The Park Hyatt Rosebank, Johannesburg, South Africa

MORNING COFFEE & REGISTRATION

WELCOME & OPENING REMARKS

08:00

08:20

08:30

DAY ONE

Reviewing AIKS policy development in the region and Africa.Revisiting IKS policy developments in the SADC in the last ten yearsCase studying policy developments in SADrafting of IKS policy and BillDedicated ringed-fenced funding to National Research FoundationDevelopment of the South African IK Digital LibraryWhy are there still some huge policy development gaps on IKS in the SADC?Challenges for regional and African IKS policy initiativesDr.Otsile Ntsoane: Independent ResearcherUniversity of Pretoria

12:15 Promoting and Strengthening African Humanity (Ubuntu/ Vumunhu/Botho) as a vehicle for Moral Regeneration.Preserving the Indigenous Knowledge of the African EldersNational, regional and continental moral renewal effortsThe role of traditional initiation ceremonies for boys and girls.Do these serve as progressive agents of social cohesion and moral regeneration?Promoting the role of custodians of culture and heritage , such as traditional/royal leaders and family institutions to inculcate cultural and social values in African societies.Promoting the regeneration of AfricaProf M A Makgopa:Head M E R Mathivha Center for African Languages, University of Venda

MORNING REFRESHMENTS & NETWORKING BREAK10:45

Opportunities and Challenges for Scientific Research In The SADC and Africa.Involvement of communities in IK researchIdentification of critical areas of researchCreation of data basesDeveloping AIK resource centresResearching and Developing South South NetworksAvailability of Funding for Research, Training and development. Formation of Collaborative Teams with other developing countriesMr. Petersen Dewah: Researcher, Knowledge ManagementPhD Student; University of Fort Hare

14:00

09:15

Challenges of AIKS preservation and protection:Intellectual Property ProtectionGrowing international interest in and economic importance of IKAccording indigenous people rights to protect their valuable knowledgeIntellectual Property law as major vehicle for protectionAdequacy and ethics of intellectual property protectionIs there consensus on whether and how to extend IPP to traditional knowledge?Regional trade agreements and related issues of intellectual property rights and for the protection of AIKSProf Lulama Qalinge: Director School of Social Sciences North West University

10:00

The role of AIKS in Agriculture and Food Security In Africa.Indigenous crops and their cultivationResearch activities into African Indigenous Farming SystemsIndigenous agronomic practices such as terracing, contour budding, fallowing, organic fertilizer application, crop rotation and multi-cropping Indigenous soil taxonomiesIndigenous soil and water conservation and anti-desertificationLocal knowledge of important tree species for agro-forestry, firewood, integrated pest management and fodder managementDr.Maitseo M.M.Bolaane: Senior LecturerDepartment of History, University of Botswana

11:00

LUNCH AND NETWORKING13:00

AFTERNOON REFRESHMENTS15:00

Panel Discussion of Issues raised during the day15:15

16:00 CHAIRPERSON’S CLOSING REMARKS

African Indigenous Knowledge Conference

Systems

nd rd2 and 03 June 2010 The Park Hyatt Rosebank, Johannesburg, South Africa

Opportunities and Challenges for African Indigenous Games.Overview of African Indigenous GamesPolicy developments, of the promotion these games , in African countriesRationale of having these gamesEstablishment of National Structures: A case study of South AfricaRegional and All Africa InclusionWorld/International Festivals; as part of the world's heritageNeed for Regional African Indigenous Games Research Dr.Jacob Mapara: Acting Dean; Faculty of Arts Senior LecturerDepartment of African Languages and LiteratureGreat Zimbabwe University

MORNING COFFEE & REGISTRATION

WELCOME & OPENING REMARKS

08:00

08:20

08:30

DAY TWO

Building on African Knowledge and Innovation Systems for Sustainable DevelopmentPromoting the cultural dimension of AIKSCross-cultural understanding and promoting the cultural dimension of sustainable developmentProblem solving strategies for local communities using AIKIncreasing responsiveness to local communitiesAdapting international practices to local settings for sustainable developmentIs IK a fully utilized resource in the development process in Africa?Dr.Otsile Ntsoane: Independent ResearcherUniversity of Pretoria

12:15

MORNING REFRESHMENTS & NETWORKING BREAK10:45

09:15

10:00

11:00

LUNCH AND NETWORKING13:00

REFRESHMENTS AND NETWORKING

Panel Discussion of Issues raised during the day

14:00

16:00 CHAIRPERSON’S CLOSING REMARKS

Promoting and protecting cultural and linguistic DiversitySupporting democracy through the entrenchment of language equity and language rightsAsserting the view that multilingualism is a resource and encouraging the learning of other African LanguagesAfrican states encouraged to promote the teaching of mother tongue in the early years of educationPromoting the use of all African languages (majority and minority) in the mediaAfrican governments urged to communicate comprehensive information in all the languagesProf M A Makgopa:Head M E R Mathivha Center for African Languages, University of Venda

Usefulness of AIK to Climate Change adaptationDevelopment and implementation of extensive mitigation and adaptation strategies to climate changeStrategies to conserve water and the soilIK in weather forecastsTraditional Knowledge and eco-systemsUse of IK to interpret weather systems in order to prepare for the futureElderly formulate hypothesis about seasonal rainfall by observing natural phenomenaHow can African governments develop responsive policies?Prof Lulama Qalinge: Director School of Social Sciences North West University

The contribution of African Traditional Medicine To Primary Health Care, HIV/AIDS and TB Prevention.The extent of the use of traditional medicine in AfricaIntegration of traditional medicine into national health systems in Africa.African Traditional Medicines and the attainment of the Millennium Development GoalsRole of traditional mid-wives in African communitiesRole of Community Health WorkersTowards policy frame works on the use of African traditional medicine: A case study of South AfricaAfrican Traditional medicine and Intellectual Property Rights; are they protected?Dr.Sefapaano Gaborone: Senior Lecturer; Department of Adult Education;University of Botswana, Traditional Healer and AIKS Practitioner

Role of translation and interpreting in promoting and developing indigenous languages”.

Ms Lolie Makhubu: Senior Lecturer Language & Translation Media, Language & Communication Durban University of Technology

Translation as a vehicle for indigenous languages rights Building human capacity in translation and interpreting Role of translation and interpreting in promoting and developing indigenous languages Machine assisted translation Production of spell checkers in indigenous languages Making available translation and/or interpreting facilities Accelerated development of terminology in the indigenous languages

African Indigenous Knowledge Conference

Systems

nd rd2 and 03 June 2010 The Park Hyatt Rosebank, Johannesburg, South Africa

AIKS is going to School: Opening Argumentative Spaces in Education. A Case Study of Basic Education in MozambiqueTraditional culture and the official school systemCulture of the local communities and the new paradigms of knowledgeThe Objectives identified in the Basic Education Curriculum Plan in Mozambique.Is it possible to consider AIK as a component of school curriculum?Investigate how AIKS may be used to teach languages.Community as Classroom: dilemmas of valuing African Indigenous Literacy in Education.

Prof. Jose Castiano: Senior lecturer, Director, Centre of Post Graduate Studies and ResearchUniversidade Pedagogica Maputo. Mozambique.

15:00

15:15