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This paper will define and discuss Indigenous Knowledge (IK),

limitations of transmission through the traditional and elec-

tion of information communication technologies.

Features of indigenous knowledge

Indigenous knowledge (IK) is defined as knowledge that isunique and traditional to a given culture or society and

and large, rely on local technologies for its transmission.Traditional African Information and IK is recorded through

cultural values, agricultural knowledge, knowledge of localryers,nsoesesal

knowledge (Segobye, 2006). It is dynamic, it renews itselfand it adapts to emerging environments. Such systems doinnovate from within and also will internalise, use and adaptexternal knowledge to suit the local situation. (idrc).

The transmittal of IK is dependent on memory, sharedlocal language, and the oral tradition and interpretation of

1057-2317/$ - see front matter 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd.doi:10.1016/j.iilr.2008.09.001

ava i lab le at www.sc ienced i rec t . com

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The International Information & Library Review (2008) 40, 243e250tronic information media in the era of globalization. It reviewsand analyses factors that have influenced global interest in IKreflected through selected approaches and strategies forpreservation and integration of IK into current knowledgespaces. It will explore opportunities for the preservation andconservation of IK as national heritage and its repositioningwithin the emerging knowledge society, through the exploita-

flora and fauna and their linkage to medicinal and culinaactivities, local history of the earth, stars and watsystems, etc., as well as through artefacts such as maskpottery, carvings, etc. Although artefacts may be utilitariaand satisfy aesthetic aspects of culture, they may alreflect a peoples philosophy of life (Seloma, 2007), valuand experiences, innovations and productivity. IK includintangible cultural heritage embedded in archaeologicits context and importance within traditional African society,and consider the threat to its continuity, as it discusses the

memory and is embedded in folklore, songs, stories, dances,proverbs, rituals, local language, myths, beliefs, games,Introduction communities, particularly in non-literate societies that, byfor creation of the knowledge society through ethically grounded information use and sharing. 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd.Summary This paper reflects on factors that need to be considered for establishment of an equi-table knowledge society that will secure the Indigenous Knowledge space. While informationcommunication technology facilitates the capture of a predominantly oral-based indigenous knowl-edge, its contribution to exploitative approaches to information access, also encourages the devel-opment of such knowledge as a commodity for competitive advantage, a factor that requires seriousconsideration. The basis for this consideration should be the World Summit on the informationSociety (WSIS) Principles which provide the promise of equitable access to information as a baseInformation transformatioIndigenous knowledge e Sspace in the knowledge so

Kay Raseroka*

Department of Library Services, University of Botswana, Ga

journa l homepage : wwAfrica:curingiety

rone, Botswana

l sev ie r . com/ loca te / i i l r

their livelihoods, belief systems, values and interests. This

244 K. Raserokamaterial culture. Information sharing within IK systems inAfrica is predominantly dependent on person-to-personcommunication or through the use of a technology thattransmits voice over distances. Such technologies in tradi-tional African societies include horns, water and drums thatamplify voice across distances and transmit informationfrom community to community over valleys or acrossexpanses of water, such as lakes and huge rivers. In presenttimes the use of the horn and drum as information trans-mission technologies has largely been discontinued bymodern generations. They may now be encountered inceremonial activities among healers and story tellers orchroniclers of culture in traditional settings. They aregenerally perceived as musical instruments amongschooled generations. However, there are exampleswithin cultures, such as the Yoruba of Nigeria, of expertisefor translating the meaning of drum sounds. Sofowote(2007, xiv) translates the meaning of drumming tones intowords and explains it thus, In the first of the storiesherein, this singing and drumming accompaniment isfeatured. And at the end of the narration, these elementsare decoded for those, regrettably including many youngergeneration Yoruba themselves, who do not understand allthat drum speech. The loss of competence to transmitmeaning through such technologies provides a lesson in thefragility of memory, when the particular knowledge is nolonger of practical use to a community. Without codifica-tion of the process, the loss of the skill is permanent.

IK systems transmit information through oralcy ororality, defined as a characteristic of communicationsystems that emphasize aural perception in contrast tocommunication systems with a visual bias, usually referredto as literacy (Houis, 1997, 12) Oral exchange of informationrelies on people-centred information and trusting rela-tionships (Burton, 2001, 225) that are central to thevibrancy of IK. Such knowledge sharing occurs within thefamily, clan, village, and community structured accordingto age cohorts, and within gender divides. Sharing oftraditional knowledge also occurs within specialist group-ings, such as secret and sacred societies, that are entrustedwith competence in trades and esoteric practice that is partof the traditional Africans worldview (Some, 1994a, 60).

IK sharing is part of the traditional transfer of culture andskills through learning that is facilitated by elders who havecompetence acquired through practice, experience andwisdom, for the benefit of younger apprentices and conti-nuity of skills over generations. Thus the individuals infor-mation needs to determine who will be consulted as themost trusted source of information that is required at anygiven time. For example health concerns will be referred tothe healer, culinary and herbal information sources aregenerally referred to women, as is information on bringingup of children, including minor illness. The core informationsharing process institution in traditional societies, inSouthern Africa, is the popular assembly, which Jordan(1973a, 1973b, ix) describes thus, It breathed the spirit ofcommunity life, embracing the economic, political andethical outlook of the community. Representatives(traditionally males, but gradually changing to includewomen) of the entire community are expected to makeinputs to issues that affect the community, as part of theconsultative, conciliatory and palaver processes. Suchprocess has its origins in colonialism (Hammond-Tooke,1993b; Jordan, 1973b) that forcefully brought change andundermined traditional ways of life and cohesion withincommunities through:

conquest and imposition of aligned power relationseffected through superior technologies of war,

culture of trade for any commodity ranging from humanbeings in the form of slaves to dispossession of land,based on divergent concepts of property rights, whereAfricans considered land as a commodity for sharedaccess and use by all for community survival, whilstcolonialists considered it as private property, thusresulting in the alienation of communal access to theirancestral lands,

devaluing of belief systems and ways of knowingthrough attribution of such descriptors as pagan,savage and ungodly, etc., and thus rationalisation ofvarious processes for civilizing the conquered natives,community assemblies are named Kgotla in Botswana,pitso in Lesotho and imbizo in South Africa. The under-pinning of the traditional custom and process of discussingissues of concern is inter-dependence, a system designed toguarantee not individual rights, but rather the rights of,firstly, the family and, then, the entire community. Theculture of communication within such cultures stressedobligations of the individual rather than rights (Hammond-Tooke, 1993a, 89). This custom is based on values that defineones self-identity as being part of a community whichprovides meaning through collectively formed judgementsand decision making as part of humanity (Some, 1994b, 27e28). Such an approach is embedded in the concept ofUbuntu that is defined as a metaphor for ethical, socialand legal judgement of human worth and human conduct(Ramose, 2002, 232). It is a value that underpins African IKsystems and has implications for the attribution of intel-lectual property rights, a significant area of contestation inglobalization of information and knowledge.

Why is IK becoming an area of interest?

One would like to suggest that the interest in IK systems ison account of a re-awakening of indigenous peoples to thehuman right to freedom of expression, which entitlespeople to hold opinions without interference and to seek,receive and impart information and ideas through anymedia and regardless of frontiers (Universal Declarationof Human Rights Article 19, 1948). Further, IK is beingexplored as part of cultural processes that seek to enhancehuman values through learning from experiences that havestood the test of time and may be enhanced throughadaptation to meet challenges and opportunities offered bychange. It is also being explored as a base for self-confi-dence in the present [that] stems from a sense of personalworth that is rooted in the full [understanding] andacceptance of the past (Hammond-Tooke, 1993b, 8).

However, IK systems, globally and specifically, amongAfricans have become an area of interest because indige-nous communities generally are under threat from theinvasion of economic systems that continue to undermine

migration of Africans from rural areas into cities where linguistic diversity and community ownership. Kiggundu

Indigenous knowledge e Securing space in the knowledge society 245constant refreshment or appropriate modification ofthe IK cannot be sustained,

lastly, introduction of schooling systems that discounttraditional learning, and foster discontinuity, such thatmost Africans who have been educated in westernmethods, either forsake indigenous ways of knowing asbeing non-scientific and therefore invalid, or strive to livedual cultures in parallel, thus switching codes of behav-iour depending on the context of operation, or create theunique cultural Interface proposed by Nakata (2002)as a place of constant tension and negotiation ofdifferent interests and systems of knowledge (which)means that bothmust be reflected on and interrogated.

Langton and Ma Rhea (2005a, 51) summarise this situationas follows, A cluster of issues are implicated in thevulnerabilities of traditional knowledge systems: land andsea tenure issues and loss of territory that sustains Indige-nous peoples and local communities into dominant societiesas indicated through language loss; biodiversity loss and itsimpact on traditional biodiversity related knowledge; andloss of traditional biodiversity knowledge in conflict andpost-conflict areas. Many have been disrupted by the impo-sition of external regimes and by colonial and postcolonialmilitary and civil conflicts. Such disruptions have caused thecollapse of rural economic systems in some cases andthereby diminished the capacity of these small scale socie-ties to continue their traditional subsistence activities.

Such conditions apply to millions within Sub SaharaAfrican societies, which are by no means minorities.

Since IK is organic and thrives within communitiessymbiotically, it may cease to be of use to a community onaccount of change in the human or material environment,hence the threat for its sustainability.

Further, as IK is dependent on memory, the significanceis brought to mind by the following adage: In Africa, eachtime an old person dies, its a library that burns down.Hampate (1987) indicates the urgency for preservation of IKas footprints that may provide paths to future analysis andappreciation of the knowledge and wisdom that sustainedlocal African cultures over time, but are being rapidlyeroded by the impermanence of memory and the absenceof independent, codified records of the orally transmittedpast by traditional community chroniclers.

The global recognition of knowledge as capital requiresthat local knowledge be recognised as a building block fornational development activities that aim to benefit the poordirectly (World Bank, 1998, 3). Indigenous communities arethus urged to develop an awareness of the wealth of theforms of knowledge and capacities it possesses, in order toincrease their value and take advantage of what they haveto offer (UNESCO, 2005, 18). However, the concept ofknowledge as wealth is problematic as it relates to intel-lectual property rights conceptualised around codificationthat does not exist and is not practised within IK systems.

IK and intellectual property

The main characteristics of IK are that it is oral, tacit andinvisible. It is sustained through, and protected by,(2007, 28) notes that one of the best ways of protectingintellectual property and indigenous knowledge is bykeeping it confidential.if he has a secret recipe forexample (such as that of Kentucky Fried Chicken) he canexploit it and protect it indefinitely by keeping it secret.Thus secrecy may be an effective intellectual propertyprotection, provided that there is no reverse engineeringthat enables others to decipher the secret, thus claim thepatent. In the case of oral traditions, where the secret isretained by being tacit knowledge, such secrecy can onlybe safeguarded by oaths of secrecy or taboo linked safe-guards. Indeed, Some (1994b, 60) says, To the Dagara, theesoteric is a technology that is surrounded by secrecy.Those who know about it can own it only if they do notdisclose it, for disclosure takes the power away. Underthese circumstances, when IP is retained in the tacitdomain for generations, its continuity is threatened by thedemise of the holders of the secret, paradoxically; intel-lectual property in the western practice is safeguardedthrough codification and disclosure. Thus global exposure oforally transmitted IK, without it being accessible throughdocumentation, enables appropriation of intellectualproperty rights through users who lay claim to be the first todiscover the uniqueness in a particular knowledge.

IK has become a commodity that attracts investors fromthe North who benefit financially from the appropriation ofthe profitable elements of traditional knowledge. Theseinvestors capitalise on the traditional knowledge researchactivities that have been undertaken by generations ofpractitioners on subjects within the IK systems, withoutequitable compensation or sharing of benefits, as indicatedin the following quote:

Corporations are well aware of how cost efficient it is totap the knowledge of communities that live and dependon biodiversity for their survival. Pharmaceutical TNCshave taken plant samples from tropical forests (identifiedand genetically manipulated by indigenous peoples) touse as raw materials in developing new drugs (idrc).

The patenting of the usage of Hoodia plant as an appe-tite suppressant drug provides an excellent case study inthe unfair practices for exclusive commercial benefit thatmay be applied in the bid to secure ownership of Intellec-tual Property Rights IPR (embedded in the indigenouscommunities knowledge of biodiversity and their benefi-cial uses) through discovery by scientific communities andappropriation of the knowledge practised by the indigenouspeoples for centuries. This particular case was resolvedthrough agreements with the San community representa-tives for the sharing of profits with the patent owner. Thefundamental issue is that a patent is granted on the basis ofnovelty that can be challenged only through documentaryevidence of prior knowledge.

IK consists of what is generically termed folklore,defined broadly as the sum total of human creativity.[including] folk science and technology which includes folkmedicines, preparation of dairy products, fertilizers,methods of agriculture, folk architecture, tool making andornament making and pottery (Valsala, 2002: 7 & iii asquoted by Morolong, 2007:48e49).

tator for sharing of knowledge, globally, and inclusive of

246 K. RaserokaFolklore is recognised by (WIPO) World informationProperty Organization as an important element of thecultural heritage of every nation. Thus, a range of intel-lectual property tools have been adopted by a number ofcountries to promote and protect traditional knowledgeand folklore, including sui generis systems of protection(Langton & Ma Rhea, 2005b, 56). In discussing the standalone legislation specifically tailored to the unique natureof IK, Kiggundu (personal communication e-mail 12/08/08)considers such a categorizing approach, where each main-stream IP (patents, trademarks and designs, copyright) isamended to accommodate various aspects of IK, asreducing the treatment of IK to an appendage, rather thanas part of the mainstream IP. Developing countries, such asBotswana, have responded by enacting laws that take intoconsideration expressions of folklore defined as: A grouporiented and tradition based creation of groups or personsreflecting the expectation of the community as anadequate expression of its cultural and social identity, itsstandards and values, as transmitted orally, by imitation orby other means. (Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act,2000 of Botswana, section 2.)

Thus, all IK of a literary and artistic nature is protectedin the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act (Cap 68:02).By defining literary and artistic works to cover almost allaspects of IK of a literary and artistic nature (music, drama,paintings, songs, architecture, pottery, weaving, handi-crafts, etc.), the Act removes the need for reduction topermanent form (fixation) by providing that these workscould be oral or expressed in any form. The IndustrialProperty Bill 2007, Part 1X protects IK of an industrialnature (manufacturing processes, medicine, food, etc.) andcovers all aspects of IK as mainstream (creation, ownership,duration, transfer of rights, infringement, remedies, etc.),thus enabling IK to be part of the mainstream IP.

Since IPR is effective only in the jurisdiction where it hasbeen protected, the question is whether developing nationswill achieve the desired goal with sui generis lawsbecause developed nations who are guilty of exploiting IKare not interested in protecting IK and are less likely toenact laws that will protect IK. This therefore means thatIK, as it is in the African context (and of course those ofother developing nations which have a wealth of IK), haslower chances of receiving international protectioncompared to other IPR where international conventionshave been put in place to harmonise their protectioninternationally. This can be demonstrated by the USAsreluctance to accede to the Convention on BiologicalDiversity (Monyatsi, personal communication, e-mail:14/8/08). This issue is also pertinent in patenting processeswhich rely on patent examiners to locate documentedevidence of knowledge as a basis for assessment onwhether a patent is granted or not. As already stated, IK isgenerally oral, therefore inventions that are createdaround some of the IK may be granted patent protectionbecause the information about the prior existence of theknowledge is not available to the examiners. Thus acces-sibility of the record becomes a significant factor as a basisfor demanding recognition of IK as an ancestral heritage,and acknowledgement of it as valid creativity of commu-nities that should not be used without the consent of theholders or communities that own it. In addition, it should beisolated rural communities. See, for example, discussion byScully (1997, 12) on the role of archival record, where shesays, Attention to the production of archival knowledgeallows us also to heed the silence in the archival recordabout the ways in which the documented past wasproduced and about how it came to be organized and sha-ped. Silences can be treated as yet another artefactavailable to the historian.

As repositories of information and knowledge, librariesand archives provide access to information and ideas topeople able to read. They facilitate intellectual engage-ment among human beings across time and space. However,this condition is not applicable to the millions of indigenouspeoples of the world where their IK is not codified, wherepeople communicate their traditional knowledge inrealised that IK has potential to contribute to nationaldevelopment and knowledge capital through giving direc-tion to research for the creation of new inventions, hencethe need for its recognition and harmonisation of itsprotection internationally, instead of merely settling forsui generis laws which in a way undermine the creativityand resources invested in the creation, testing andrepeated use that authenticates the IK as compared toother IPR. However, the realization of financial benefits isnot automatic; there is a need for mastery of intricateprocesses, skills and financial investments through whichadaptation and/or assimilation of the IK into other ways ofknowing, may or may not lead to innovation. Herewith liesthe chimera of globalization for the under resourced soci-eties of the South.

Indigenous knowledge libraries and archives

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)Declaration of 2003 created a vision for a people-centred,inclusive and development orientation Information Society,where everyone can create, access, utilise and shareinformation and knowledge enabling individuals, commu-nities and people to achieve their full potential topromoting their sustainable development and improvingtheir quality of life.

The Declaration states an unqualified acceptance of thefundamental importance of human rights and culturaldiversity. The key principles further commit the peoples ofthe world to building an inclusive information societythrough access to information and knowledge for thepurpose of generating personal well-being and economicwealth as a measure of development.

The proposal for the Declaration of Principles focused onthe role of computer technology as the significant infra-structure for the realization of the information society. TheDeclaration that was finally agreed upon recognised theequal importance of libraries, archives and similar institu-tions as carriers of information content and as facilitatorsof access to information and its use in diverse ways byhumanity. The assumption is that such institutionspermeate all levels of society throughout the world forma basis for preservation and information access infrastruc-ture that may be enhanced by information communicationtechnologies (ICT) and developed into a significant facili-

Enhanced self-confidence among peoples of the devel-

Indigenous knowledge e Securing space in the knowledge society 247oping world in general and the First Nations of theworld, such as the Indigenous peoples of Australia, andNordic territories, Southern Africa, North and SouthAmericas, derived from empowering networks that seekto raise awareness on issues of mutual interest aboutself-determination, including the recognition of theprinciples of human and cultural rights entitlements forall,

Enhanced appreciation of the value of knowledgecapital embedded in IK,

Sensitisation activities of international organizationssuch as UNESCO, World Bank, WIPO, etc., and progressin establishing protocols and systems of access to IK insupport of globalization interests, and

Convergence among research interests and develop-ment of appropriate ICT tools and protocols formanagement of knowledge.

Whilst the development of technology enables codifica-tion of IK, the question is whether the captured knowledgebecomes more accessible to the owners once it isembedded within ICT platforms, such as the Internet andother play-back equipment. IK owners in the developingworld have limited access to such technologies because ofthe lack of ICT infrastructure and electricity and limiteda variety of mother tongue languages, most of which arenot written or, if on record, the content is limited to usagefor religious purposes. Further, such institutions aredeveloped to serve specific objectives that are not deter-mined by the contexts of information or knowledge needsas defined by communities, but those perceived by thestate as being for the public good. For example, libraries inthe developing world are predominantly perceived as beinginstruments for promoting education and sustainingliteracy; whilst archives are public records created by thestate for administration of citizens, though they maycollect material on social memory and knowledge. Signifi-cantly, these information sources are mostly expressed inforeign languages, therefore, are of limited accessibility toindigenous communities.

The challenge is for these institutions to facilitate theinclusion of non-codified memory transmitted through auraland visual media, in addition to the written medium. ICTdevelopments and digital products that record visuals andsound provide a suitable medium for codification of indig-enous knowledge and memory, since the record is capturedthrough the spoken word. However, digital records intro-duce other complexities that require special attention inthe process of securing space for IK in the knowledgesociety.

Indigenous knowledge management

There are various efforts throughout the developing world(and in developed countries where there are predominantareas populated by indigenous people), to establish indig-enous knowledge centres that provide access to IK along-side non-Indigenous knowledge. These efforts have beenstimulated by various factors such as:access to information service institutions, where suchfacilities may be availed to indigenous communities atminimal or no cost. Thus, whilst developments in ICT haveraised hopes for increased access to information andknowledge, the digital divide prevalent in most devel-oping countries exacerbates the information gap betweendeveloped communities in the North, where there is ease ofaccess to information, and indigenous communities in theSouth, where there are the already cited barriers to infor-mation access, including shortage of skills for exploitationof ICTs. Thus, as the IK property is packaged and uploadedin cyberspace, it is more likely to be rendered out of reachto its indigenous owners. Hence, power relations come intoplay once again; globalization, superior technologies andintellectual property rights become the modern arsenal ofintellectual conquest and economic benefit. Pickover(2008) summarises this situation thus, In this brandedworld the digitization of knowledge and legacy materials isnot a depoliticised space and access to knowledge is alsoa political question e particularly to knowledge producedin or emanating from the global south.

Knowledge management activities for IK preservationand information access facilitation projects are influencedby the wide coverage of subject fields that make up socialculture in general. Thus, it is essential that prioritisation ofknowledge that should be codified be based on appropriateconsultative processes with relevant Indigenous communi-ties, in accordance with their identified needs. Other issuesthat require attention are permission for rights of access orparticipation in the selected cultural activities, identifica-tion of and negotiation on intellectual property rights andpermissibility for the material to be in a public space withgate keepers of knowledge, development of appropriateinterview and recording tools, and methods of informationorganization, preservation and dissemination, (Mabawonku,2002, 49e60).

Whilst these strategies assist in preservation and access,they bring to the fore contradictions that are an integralpart of the methods used for collection, documentation,storage and dissemination of IK. These processes isolate IKfrom the original contexts. This undermines IK integrity andauthenticity, especially when it is driven by externalinterests of researchers and informants who integrate anddocument lists, and who seek to interpret and create newunderstandings, but use different contextual and culturalframeworks and ways of knowing, without ensuring thevalidation of the collected knowledge by the originalowners of the IK (Raseroka, 2005, 6e7).

Globalization is seen as the formation of new kinds ofalliances and partnerships that require collaborativeknowledge exchange and suitable integration. It impliesengagement with and appreciation of different ways ofknowing, as an essential part of creating an integratedselfhood through what Nakata (2002) refers to as theCultural Interface, which he describes as:

The place where we live and learn, the place thatconditions our lives, the place that shapes our futures andmore to the point the place where we are active agents inour own lives e where we make decisions e our life worlda place of tension that requires constant negotiation. Atthe interface traditional forms of and ways of knowing, orthe residue of those, that we bring from the trajectory of

The codification of oral culture through audio and visual

248 K. Raserokacommunication technologies removes barriers encounteredin the solitary engagement with print, referred to by Nathan(2000). As observed elsewhere (Raseroka, 2006), such anapproach provides a unique opportunity for transformationof traditional library and archive spaces from passivedocumentation storage into communication spaces thatfacilitate community interaction and sharing in the creationof new meanings. Herein lies the opportunity forhistory, inform how we think and act and so do Westernways, and for many of us a blend of both has become ourlife world. It is the most complex of intersections and thesource of confusion for many. For in this space there are somany interwoven, competing and conflicting discourses,that distinguishing traditional from non-traditional in theday-to-day is difficult to sustain even if one was in a state ofpermanent reflection.

The freedom park

The Freedom Park project of South Africa is an example ofthe efforts of the countrys citizens to create a SouthAfrican life world. The project involves a re-instatementof the indigenous history, a holistic past, through narrationand interrogation of the different ways of knowing of thediverse cultures, dating back 3.6 billion years, to createa negotiated First Nations/migrants/colonial/slave/master/indigenous peoples collaborated nationhood, anda monument of heritage and humanity which is intendedto be celebrated by all as A heritage site for reconcilia-tion, humanity and freedom in South Africa. www.freedompark.co.za, accessed 14/8/08).

The repository of IK that is being interrogated consists ofthe spiritual belief systems and ways of knowing embeddedin the psyche of the indigenous people. It embracescultures embedded in archaeological sources, rock artartefacts, crafts and memory embedded in folklore andwisdom transmitted through the various expressions of theindigenous belief systems and languages. It includes colo-nial archival records and embedded belief systems thatgave birth to the creation of the apartheid history, as wellas the indomitable spirit of an amalgamation of a peoplewho, believing in their humanity, are in the process ofliberating themselves, as both the oppressed and oppres-sors, by creating the equivalent of Nakatas CulturalInterface for all South Africans, and perhaps, ultimately forSouthern Africans, given the intertwined histories of thepeoples of the lands of Southern Africa.

The IK repository that is the base for the Freedom Parkknowledge centre consist of spiritual spaces for reflection,a museum, archive and library, and is designed asa comprehensive information and knowledge space (Seroteet al., n.d.). It uses all types of information media andexploits information communication technology (ICT) asa lever for enhancement of information sharing for all whovisit. The conceptual framework provides platforms andspaces for interactive activities, creation, collation andorganization of knowledge that speaks to all, in their ownmedium of knowing and making meaning and, hopefully,ultimately empowers everyone to create individuallymeaningful life world and self-knowledge.The development of the Freedom Park knowledge centre isnot yet complete. It is, however, an ambitious and costlyproject, the success of which is dependent on the har-nessing and coordination of knowledge and expertise froma number of different information professions: researchers,archivists, librarians, and museum information specialists.Information technology professionals, whose expertise is inthe manipulation of various aspects of software and hard-ware, in collaboration with significant others with compe-tency in the processing, editing and publishing on thevarious media, are crucial for securing the IK space in theknowledge society. Digitization of content is a strategy forenhancing access through networking facilitated by theweb. As a process, digitization facilitates multi-prongedways of searching for information at various levels of depth,ranging from curiosity-bowls through the databases topurpose-focused, full text research activities through theexpert exploitation of ICT.

Through preservation capabilities, IK memory and otherephemeral materials sourced from global contributors tothe South and southern African histories, technologyenables broad-based access to local content. This processmay include electronic repatriation of indigenous knowl-edge and artefacts plundered through colonial and religiouscivilizing era.

The application of ICT to collection of IK is openingthrough globalization principles another window of poten-tial contestation of ownership of intellectual propertyrights. Institutions in the North have access to sources ofempowerment of communities to contribute their stories tothe global information history and preserve their memoriesand IK. However, such an approach not only requiresdistributed access points to serve remote communities, butalso is dependent on the availability of a platform forrecording an inclusive oral history, directed, not exclusivelyby research interests, but by the need to emancipateindigenous knowledge voices to share symbols of communityconsciousness, experiences and enhance self-confidence.

The Freedom Park knowledge centre is fortunate to havethe digital and video records of the Truth and Reconcilia-tion oral archive, as a base. A review of the content indi-cated the priority for information gathering processes aspart of the construction of archives, library, and museumand thus determined research priorities. The capture andpreservation of oral records of freedom fighters memories,experiences and life stories, became one of the priorityareas since only a small percentage of the elders of theliberation movements have a written record of this history.Thus the majority are likely to pass on without sharing theirexperiences for posterity. Indeed at the time of inceptionof the project, significant players in struggle for freedom ofSouth Africa, such as Chris Hani and Mwalimu Julius Nyer-ere, were no longer available for first hand contributions tothe archive. Baseline data is provided by research teamsand is enriched through multi-media materials, such asphotographs and audio/video recorded interviews, as wellas documentation obtained from local regional and inter-national sources and records.

Challenges

finances, appropriate ICT and an abundance of human

morality of the exchange of the source code for charges

information to counteract the profit motive that seems to

Indigenous knowledge e Securing space in the knowledge society 249imposed on account of the value added process tocreate unique, profitable products needs to be interrogatedopenly among scholarly communities and the investors whoare from independent non-profit organizations, as part ofthe politics of securing a sustainable IK space in theKnowledge Society.

The greatest challenge, however, is assurance that accessto the knowledge contained in Freedom Park is open to thegeneral public wherever they are through the use of existingand newly developed information infrastructures, archives,libraries and museums. A possible viable access point is theuse of virtual knowledge centres integrated within archives,libraries, museums, government agencies, and social infor-mation services, i.e., community information servicesfacilitated as a public good to cater for various literacies inoralcy, aural, visual and reading platforms/capabilities.Whilst South Africas information infrastructure is betterthan in most African countries, and the national informationpolicy is well developed, there is, however, no coordinatedor integrated information service provision for seamless, onestop access to information that is facilitated by creative useof ICT. The replication of the information accessed throughthe convergence of various virtual windows of informationaccess (proposed herein)might provide onemodel envisagedby the principles encapsulated in the World Summit on theInformation Society.

Conclusion

This paper reflects on the factors that need to be consid-ered for the establishing a knowledge society that accom-modates indigenous knowledge systems. The developmentof information communication technologies is a significanttool for the capture of predominantly oral-based indigenousknowledge to facilitate both its preservation and accessbeyond person-to-person communication. Although Intel-lectual property rights and the legal systems that arecompatible with community ownership of IK are beingdeveloped, the test of their validity is their recognition andprotective teeth in the international legal domains. TheWSIS Principles need to integrate ways of applying ethicaland moral considerations to the ideal of access toresource expertise that give these institutions an edge overinstitutions in the South and empower them to acceleratethe productive uses of information technologies for thebenefit of higher education. (through) development ofsustainable organization and business models Ithakamission (ithaka).

Through non-profit organizations, resources have beenmobilized to support digitization projects of local contentbased on information gleaned through researchers and localinformants paid privately for community owned informa-tion property rights, which include, for example, AfricanPlants and their Users. The products of these projects aredatabases, easily accessed by Northern researchers onpayments of affordable fees, which are potential mines forpatents. Although access to such databases for contributingcountries in the south is charged at nominal fees, theoverride all else in support of the survival of the fittestethos that is a carry-over from the colonial to the global-ization era.

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250 K. Raseroka

Information transformation Africa: Indigenous knowledge - Securing space in the knowledge societyIntroductionFeatures of indigenous knowledgeWhy is IK becoming an area of interest?IK and intellectual propertyIndigenous knowledge libraries and archivesIndigenous knowledge managementThe freedom parkChallengesConclusionReferences