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- ItemAfrican indigenous knowledge: scientific or unscientific?(University of Zululand, 2013-01) Ogungbure, Adebayo AnthonyThe conventional idea is that there is only one superior way of knowing. That is rational and scientific knowledge ... Yet, across the globe, people perceive reality in different ways, and the resulting worldviews lead to different ways of learning and different ways of knowing.2 Human knowledge within Western culture is generally adjudged to have reached its apogee in terms of the study of the natural world and the development of technological equipment directed towards making life worth living. Meanwhile, the attainment of such a sophisticated status in Western scientific research has been facilitated by its experimental methodology which has made possible the transfer of knowledge from one generation to another. However, other nonWestern forms of knowledge that lack these characteristics are regarded as “unscientific”. African indigenous knowledge, a victim of such censure, is seen as an unscientific accumulation of native wisdom, lacking in sophistication, logicality, coherence, and technicality which disqualifies it from being called “scientific” knowledge as we have it in Western culture. This paper seeks to argue that the rejection of African indigenous knowledge as “unscientific” knowledge stems from a false dichotomy.
- ItemThe contribution of philosophy to Africa’s development(University of Zululand, 2016-01) OyedolaWhether Africa is compared with other continents or it is considered on its own, much of Africa is in a precarious state. Africa is known to be lagging behind in development not only in the economy, but also in philosophy, science, politics, technology, etc. This precarious state has made many scholars cynical about the contributions philosophy has made towards the development of the continent. In this study, however, it is argued that such a cynical attitude is due to a myopic conception of “development,” which excludes growth in education, the economy, politics, science, the mental aspect of culture, and/or the unawareness of the fact that Africans (including the colonial and neo-colonial interferences) led the continent to a precarious state, not because of the inability on the part of the philosophers to proffer solutions, but owing to the unwillingness and failure on the part of African leaders in their un-philosophical or unrefined political, educational, economic, and scientific policies to adopt the solutions proffered.
- ItemLibrary and Information Science education in Anglophone Africa: Past, present and future(University of Zululand, 2017-01) Otike, JaphetThe purpose of this article is to describe the historical development of Library and Information Science (LIS) schools on the African continent from the colonial period to the present. It highlights the factors that contributed to the growth of library schools and challenges experienced in their development. This study was based entirely on literature review and the author’s extensive knowledge, teaching experience and research in LIS education in Africa. Information was obtained from both published and non-published sources. Colleagues in LIS education also contributed immensely to the outcome of the work. It was found that the earliest schools were initially known as library schools. The term changed to LIS schools much later, after independence. Library schools started in the colonial era, initially in South Africa, moving all the way through West Africa to East Africa. The curricula used in the schools were based on programmes prevailing in the mother country. Unesco played an important role in the development of library schools on the continent. It came up with the concept of regional library schools. Public and academic libraries were instrumental in agitating for the establishment of library schools. With the onset of independence on the continent, the concept of regional schools died, giving rise to self-sufficiency. Currently, LIS schools are mushrooming all over the continent. It is concluded that if this trend is not checked, it could have a serious effect on the quality of the graduates. Although the future of LIS schools is bright, it will greatly depend on how the library profession is marketed. LIS schools will need to match the rapid changes taking place in the information industry.
- ItemNigeria’s democracy: the trilemma of herdsmenism, terrorism and vampirism(University of Zululand, 2017-01) Ojo, Emmanuel OladipoSince the ‘invention’ of democracy by the Greek City States in the first half of the 5th Century B.C. and its popularisation after the American War of Independence in the 17th century, democracy has remained the most famous form of government. Indeed, today, the presence or absence of democracy in a country seems to be the ‘standard’ by which such a country is measured – while countries that practise democracy are patted on the back; those that do not are pelted with all sorts of negative descriptions and categorisations. This outward approval or disapproval has taken centre stage to the extent that little or no attention is paid to the analysis of the content and context of a country’s democracy. Yet, this is important for at least three reasons: one, it will help to show how people in the sidelines in a specific geo-polity perceive democracy. Two, it will most probably reveal that not all forms of government operating in the garb of a constitution properly qualify as democracy. Three, and perhaps most important, a study of the content and context of a country’s democracy would reveal the type of democracy being practised by it – whether it is surface democracy, pseudo- or quasi-democracy or the rule by many for many. This study examines the content and context of Nigeria’s democracy with specific reference to its ‘trilemma’ and argues that Nigeria’s democracy is assailed by three ‘isms’. The study concludes that Nigeria’s brand of democracy is a system which enables rule by the few for the few and that this has drained many Nigerians of psychic energy and socio-economic strength.