The Department of Science and Technology (DST) yesterday launched the fourth annual Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) Expo in Mahikeng, in the North West Province.
The DST hosts the IKS Expo in a different province each year, to demonstrate the relevance of indigenous knowledge technologies to the country's economic, rural and community development.
Speaking at the launch, science and technology minister Naledi Pandor said the products on display at the expo reveal the potential for SA to become a major producer in the global indigenous trade.
The DST has three IKS priorities, said Pandor. The first is the development of a regulatory environment for the protection of IKS.
“The second is the development of the National Recordal System for the collection, recording, documenting, storage and management, and dissemination of IKS in the communities in the nine provinces of the country.”
Pandor explained that until the orally transmitted and rapidly disappearing indigenous knowledge is recorded, it will be difficult to protect.
The DST is now implementing the second phase of the National Recordal System. It is the largest fingerprint initiative of the region to document and record indigenous knowledge.
“This system will collect successful grassroots community knowledge and experiences, which will prove to be a valuable resource in improving our understanding of how communities empower themselves to manage their own development,” said the minister.
“The third strategic priority is applied research. I think specifically of bio-prospecting activities,” said Pandor.
“For most South Africans, indigenous knowledge is not something elusive or mysterious. Rather, it is what local communities know and do, and what local communities have known and done for generations.
“Interfacing our indigenous philosophies and methodologies with those of mainstream sciences will contribute to the development of a unique set of graduates, who will be committed to developing the social, environmental, cultural and economic health of communities.”
The minister urged communities to come forward with bold proposals aimed at improving excellence in research and teaching, especially in the areas of indigenous knowledge systems, science and technology.
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