Indigenous knowledge has massive potential for research, development, innovation and social cohesion – Minister Pandor
The Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor, believes that South Africa's indigenous knowledge has massive potential for research, development, innovation and social cohesion.
She was speaking at the Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) Interface Conference, currently underway at the CSIR International Conference Centre in Pretoria, this morning.
The IKS Interface Conference is a platform for scientists from universities and science councils, IKS holders and students to share new and ongoing research outputs. The objective is to create a developmental space of dialogue seeking to generate new knowledge and train new cohorts of researchers able to understand the groundings of different knowledge systems.
The Department of Science and Technology invests R10 million annually in its IKS programme to promote and support research on understanding IKS and its role in science, innovation and community life.
"Indigenous knowledge offers great opportunities, not only to those who use it in their daily lives, but also to researchers, government agencies and commercial firms, both foreign and domestic, and is mostly stored in the memories of practitioners and holders, passed down through the generations by word of mouth," Minister Pandor told the gathering.
However, Minister Pandoor added that the oral nature of indigenous knowledge had also resulted in widespread misuse, misappropriation and biopiracy.
"This has been seen recently in the pelargonium, rooibos and honeybush cases," she said.
Among the strategies the Department of Science and Technology is implementing to ensure the future protection, development and management of our IKS, Minister Pandor mentioned the documentation and recording of IKS.
"The urgency of documenting South African indigenous knowledge – and we are documenting through our recordal system – is underscored by the fact that we often lose our respected elders before their indigenous knowledge has been recorded. It is often said that, when an old person dies in Africa, a whole library disappears," the Minister said to thunderous applause from the delegates.
The DST has supported IKS-based research and development for almost 10 years. It has funded two IKS research chairs and supported 12 PhD, 31 master's and 40 honours students. It has also provided leadership in various advocacy and public-awareness initiatives.
Enquiries:
Lunga Ngqengelele
Tel: 012 843 6799
Cell: 082 566 0446
