2001年-世界发展银行全球_Eritrea_-_The_Process_of_Capturing_Indigenous_Knowledge_4页_529kb

Eritrea: The Process of Capturing Indigenous Knowledge Summary

Core Content

Eritrea, located in the Horn of Africa, is home to six regions and nine distinct ethnic nationalities, each with its own indigenous culture and traditional practices. The country has undertaken a long-term initiative to capture, categorize, and document indigenous knowledge (IK) as part of a broader effort to preserve and revitalize these cultural resources in the face of globalization.

Main Objectives

The primary objective of the initiative was to identify and understand the IK of Eritrean peoples within a socio-economic context. This involved examining the socio-cultural and economic activities of each of the nine ethnic groups, from the origins of Eritrean society through colonial times to the present. The aim was to ensure that this knowledge could be preserved and made accessible for future generations.

Collection Methodology

The initiative was carried out in two phases, with only the first phase seeing significant progress:

• Phase I: Collection of IK information
• Phase II: Detailed validation and analysis

The collection process followed a structured framework, consisting of four stages:

1. Stage 1: Regional and ethnic identification

   • Conduct a pilot study to gather general knowledge about the region and its people.
   • Interview district and local administrators, surrounding communities, and village elders to identify key areas for IK collection.
   • Refine the semi-structured questionnaire based on these discussions.

2. Stage 2: Identification of IK bearers

   • Identify the most knowledgeable individuals within the ethnic group, typically elders.
   • Determine the number of bearers, which usually ranged between twenty to thirty people.

3. Stage 3: Panel discussions

   • Divide the selected bearers into groups and conduct panel discussions.
   • These discussions lasted around sixty days and were intense, with participants provided with lodging and a nominal per diem.
   • The goal was to validate data, identify contradictions, and cross-check information between groups.

4. Stage 4: Field visits

   • Conduct field visits to confirm and validate the information collected.
   • Meet with actual practitioners and the wider population in their real-world settings.
   • Replace or add members to groups if some questions were not fully answered.

Funding and Timeline

• The initiative was initially funded by the Public Administration Department until 1990.
• From 1995 onwards, the Ministry of Local Government provided funding.
• The process spanned twenty years, with the first phase completed and the second still pending.

Key Challenges

Despite the progress made, the initiative has faced several challenges:

• Social and political crises such as the war of independence, conflict with Ethiopia, famine, and the HIV/AIDS crisis have slowed the process.
• Fiscal and technical limitations, including outdated equipment and lack of funding, have hindered the analysis and usage of the collected data.
• IK gatherers are mainly liberation activists with limited formal training in data analysis and presentation.
• Data is often in raw format, not adequately coded or indexed, and some is still in vernacular languages (e.g., Tigrigna) requiring translation.

Impact of the Initiative

The collected IK has had an indirect impact on various sectors of Eritrean society:

• Asmara University faculty and students have used the data for academic research.
• The Ministry of Education has referred to it for traditional education and cultural messaging.
• The Ministry of Health has used it for traditional post-natal care and child treatment.
• The Ministry of Justice has drawn on customary law and traditional conflict resolution methods.
• The Ministry of Local Government has used the data for regional delineation and organization.

Next Steps

To ensure the success of the initiative and maximize its benefits, the following steps are recommended:

• Secure funding and support from a multi-disciplinary team (including anthropologists and other specialists) to validate and analyze the data.
• Provide training to the IK collection team in an accredited university abroad to improve their analytical and communication skills.
• Involve Eritrean academia in the process to transfer knowledge and build local capacity in IK research.
• Ensure data accessibility and proper coding for effective use in development and preservation efforts.

Conclusion

The indigenous knowledge initiative in Eritrea has played a crucial role in documenting the country’s diverse cultural and traditional practices. Although it has faced numerous challenges, the initiative has laid a foundation for future efforts in preserving and utilizing this knowledge for the benefit of the Eritrean people, particularly the rural populations of the nine ethnic nationalities.