TEDGlobal 2017
Chika Ezeanya-Esiobu: How Africa can use its traditional knowledge to make progress
Filmed:
Readability: 4.6
1,241,889 views
Chika Ezeanya-Esiobu wants to see Africans unleash their suppressed creative and innovative energies by acknowledging the significance of their indigenous, authentic knowledge. In this powerful talk, she shares examples of untapped, traditional African knowledge in agriculture and policy-making, calling on Africans to make progress by validating and dignifying their reality.
Chika Ezeanya-Esiobu - Indigenous knowledge expert
Working across disciplines, Chika Ezeanya-Esiobu explores homegrown and grassroots approaches to the sustainable advancement of Sub-Saharan Africa. Full bio
Working across disciplines, Chika Ezeanya-Esiobu explores homegrown and grassroots approaches to the sustainable advancement of Sub-Saharan Africa. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
Some months back,
I was visiting this East African city,
I was visiting this East African city,
0
1054
5480
00:18
and we were stuck in traffic.
1
6558
2989
00:21
And this vendor suddenly
approaches my window
approaches my window
2
9571
3042
00:24
with a half-opened alphabet sheet.
3
12637
2543
00:28
I took a quick look at the alphabet sheet,
4
16505
2819
00:31
and I thought of my daughter,
5
19348
1435
00:32
how it would be nice
to spread it on the floor
to spread it on the floor
6
20807
2562
00:35
and just play all over it with her
7
23393
1840
00:37
while getting her to learn the alphabet.
8
25257
2189
00:39
So the traffic moved a bit,
and I quickly grabbed a copy,
and I quickly grabbed a copy,
9
27470
3295
00:42
and we moved on.
10
30789
1999
00:46
When I had time to fully open
the alphabet sheet
the alphabet sheet
11
34165
3101
00:49
and take a more detailed look at it,
12
37290
2329
00:51
I knew I was not going to use that
to teach my daughter.
to teach my daughter.
13
39643
3023
00:55
I regretted my purchase.
14
43267
1517
00:58
Why so?
15
46331
1342
01:00
Looking at the alphabet sheet
reminded me of the fact
reminded me of the fact
16
48338
2786
01:03
that not much has changed
17
51148
2376
01:05
in the education curricula in Africa.
18
53548
2423
01:08
Some decades back, I was taught
out of a similar alphabet sheet.
out of a similar alphabet sheet.
19
56729
3720
01:13
And because of that,
I struggled for years.
I struggled for years.
20
61312
2257
01:16
I struggled to reconcile my reality
with the formal education I received
with the formal education I received
21
64464
4496
01:20
in school, in the schools I attended.
22
68984
2147
01:24
I had identity crises.
23
72592
2010
01:26
I looked down on my reality.
24
74626
2909
01:29
I looked at my ancestry,
I looked at my lineage with disrespect.
I looked at my lineage with disrespect.
25
77559
4246
01:34
I had very little patience
for what my life had to offer around me.
for what my life had to offer around me.
26
82205
5053
01:41
Why?
27
89045
1399
01:43
"A is for apple."
28
91496
1419
01:46
"A is for apple."
29
94421
1424
01:49
"A is for apple" is for that child
in that part of the world
in that part of the world
30
97528
4688
01:54
where apples grow out;
31
102240
1732
01:56
who has an apple in her lunch bag;
32
104751
1976
02:00
who goes to the grocery store
with her mom and sees red,
with her mom and sees red,
33
108235
3402
02:03
green, yellow -- apples
of all shapes and colors and sizes.
of all shapes and colors and sizes.
34
111661
3653
02:08
And so, introducing
education to this child
education to this child
35
116049
2889
02:10
with an alphabet sheet like this
36
118962
2122
02:14
fulfills one of the major
functions of education,
functions of education,
37
122090
3041
02:17
which is to introduce the learner
38
125155
3162
02:20
to an appreciation
of the learner's environment
of the learner's environment
39
128341
3373
02:23
and a curiosity to explore more
in order to add value.
in order to add value.
40
131738
4642
02:29
In my own case,
41
137581
1411
02:32
when and where I grew up in Africa,
42
140014
2312
02:35
apple was an exotic fruit.
43
143613
1830
02:38
Two or three times a year,
44
146719
1385
02:40
I could get some yellowish apples
with brown dots, you know,
with brown dots, you know,
45
148128
5367
02:45
signifying thousands of miles traveled --
warehouses, sorting --
warehouses, sorting --
46
153519
3897
02:49
to get to me.
47
157440
1174
02:51
I grew up in the city
48
159575
1911
02:53
to very financially comfortable parents,
49
161510
3000
02:56
so it was my dignified reality,
50
164534
1942
02:58
exactly the same way
51
166500
2311
03:00
cassava fufu or ugali
would not regularly feature
would not regularly feature
52
168835
4162
03:05
in an American, Chinese or Indian diet,
53
173021
2901
03:08
apples didn't count as part of my reality.
54
176851
2429
03:12
So what this did to me,
55
180208
3048
03:15
introducing education to me
with "A is for apple,"
with "A is for apple,"
56
183280
3684
03:18
made education an abstraction.
57
186988
2459
03:21
It made it something out of my reach --
58
189914
1869
03:24
a foreign concept,
59
192665
1906
03:26
a phenomenon for which I would have
to constantly and perpetually seek
to constantly and perpetually seek
60
194595
3806
03:30
the validation of those it belonged to
61
198425
1811
03:32
for me to make progress
within it and with it.
within it and with it.
62
200260
2940
03:36
That was tough for a child;
it would be tough for anyone.
it would be tough for anyone.
63
204109
2906
03:40
As I grew up and I advanced academically,
64
208042
2723
03:42
my reality was further separated
from my education.
from my education.
65
210789
5064
03:48
In history, I was taught
66
216739
1746
03:50
that the Scottish explorer Mungo Park
discovered the Niger River.
discovered the Niger River.
67
218509
4251
03:55
And so it bothered me.
68
223631
1793
03:57
My great-great-grandparents grew up
69
225448
2015
03:59
quite close to the edge
of the Niger River.
of the Niger River.
70
227487
2003
04:01
(Laughter)
71
229514
2419
04:03
And it took someone to travel
thousands of miles from Europe
thousands of miles from Europe
72
231957
6477
04:10
to discover a river
right under their nose?
right under their nose?
73
238458
2447
04:12
(Laughter)
74
240929
2441
04:15
No!
75
243394
1157
04:16
(Applause and cheers)
76
244575
5419
04:22
What did they do with their time?
77
250018
1929
04:23
(Laughter)
78
251971
1897
04:25
Playing board games, roasting fresh yams,
79
253892
2831
04:28
fighting tribal wars?
80
256747
1380
04:30
I mean, I just knew my education
was preparing me to go somewhere else
was preparing me to go somewhere else
81
258557
4860
04:35
and practice and give to another
environment that it belonged to.
environment that it belonged to.
82
263441
3767
04:39
It was not for my environment,
where and when I grew up.
where and when I grew up.
83
267232
3183
04:43
And this continued.
84
271029
1159
04:44
This philosophy undergirded my studies
85
272212
1893
04:46
all through the time I studied in Africa.
86
274129
2465
04:48
It took a lot of experiences
and some studies
and some studies
87
276618
3834
04:52
for me to begin to have
a change of mindset.
a change of mindset.
88
280476
3152
04:55
I will share a couple
of the remarkable ones with us.
of the remarkable ones with us.
89
283652
2964
04:59
I was in the United States
in Washington, DC
in Washington, DC
90
287735
2355
05:02
studying towards my doctorate,
91
290114
2042
05:04
and I got this consultancy position
with the World Bank Africa Region.
with the World Bank Africa Region.
92
292180
3877
05:08
And so I remember one day,
93
296735
2756
05:11
my boss -- we were having
a conversation on some project,
a conversation on some project,
94
299515
4648
05:16
and he mentioned a particular
World Bank project,
World Bank project,
95
304187
3041
05:19
a large-scale irrigation project
that cost millions of dollars
that cost millions of dollars
96
307252
4972
05:24
in Niger Republic
97
312248
1331
05:25
that was faltering sustainably.
98
313603
3274
05:28
He said this project
wasn't so sustainable,
wasn't so sustainable,
99
316901
2343
05:31
and it bothered those
that instituted the whole package.
that instituted the whole package.
100
319268
4223
05:36
But then he mentioned
a particular project,
a particular project,
101
324035
2789
05:39
a particular traditional irrigation method
that was hugely successful
that was hugely successful
102
327517
4917
05:44
in the same Niger Republic
where the World Bank project was failing.
where the World Bank project was failing.
103
332458
3697
05:48
And that got me thinking.
104
336930
1496
05:51
So I did further research,
105
339281
1743
05:53
and I found out about Tassa.
106
341984
2385
05:57
Tassa is a traditional irrigation method
107
345775
3770
06:01
where 20- to 30-centimeter-wide
and 20- to 30-centimeter-deep holes
and 20- to 30-centimeter-deep holes
108
349569
6193
06:07
are dug across a field to be cultivated.
109
355786
2874
06:11
Then, a small dam is constructed
around the field,
around the field,
110
359220
4113
06:16
and then crops are planted
across the surface area.
across the surface area.
111
364296
3626
06:19
What happens is that when rain falls,
112
367946
3304
06:23
the holes are able to store the water
113
371274
2984
06:26
and appropriate it to the extent
that the plant needs the water.
that the plant needs the water.
114
374282
3818
06:30
The plant can only assimilate
as much water as needed
as much water as needed
115
378124
3266
06:33
until harvest time.
116
381414
1570
06:36
Niger is 75 percent scorched desert,
117
384582
3693
06:40
so this is something
that is a life-or-death situation,
that is a life-or-death situation,
118
388299
2693
06:43
and it has been used for centuries.
119
391016
1808
06:45
In an experiment that was conducted,
120
393384
2102
06:48
two similar plots of land
were used in the experiment,
were used in the experiment,
121
396233
5413
06:53
and one plot of land
122
401670
2631
06:56
did not have the Tassa technique on it.
123
404325
1942
06:58
Similar plots.
124
406291
1167
06:59
The other one had Tassa technique
constructed on it.
constructed on it.
125
407482
3158
07:03
Then similar grains of millet
also were planted on both plots.
also were planted on both plots.
126
411332
3755
07:08
During harvest time,
127
416045
2207
07:10
the plot of land without Tassa technique
128
418276
3152
07:13
yielded 11 kilograms
of millet per hectare.
of millet per hectare.
129
421452
4171
07:18
The plot of land with Tassa technique
130
426737
2295
07:21
yielded 553 kilograms
of millet per hectare.
of millet per hectare.
131
429056
5853
07:27
(Applause)
132
435660
2585
07:30
I looked at the research,
and I looked at myself.
and I looked at myself.
133
438269
3913
07:34
I said, "I studied
agriculture for 12 years,
agriculture for 12 years,
134
442206
3252
07:37
from primary to Senior Six,
as we say in East Africa,
as we say in East Africa,
135
445482
3410
07:40
SS3 in West Africa or 12th grade.
136
448916
2346
07:43
No one ever taught me
137
451286
1657
07:44
of any form of traditional
African knowledge of cultivation --
African knowledge of cultivation --
138
452967
3806
07:48
of harvesting, of anything --
139
456797
1794
07:50
that will work in modern times
and actually succeed,
and actually succeed,
140
458615
3828
07:54
where something imported from the West
would struggle to succeed.
would struggle to succeed.
141
462467
4601
07:59
That was when I knew the challenge,
142
467775
3113
08:02
the challenge of Africa's curricula,
143
470912
2579
08:05
And I thus began my quest
to dedicate my life, concern my life work,
to dedicate my life, concern my life work,
144
473649
4798
08:10
to studying, conducting research
on Africa's own knowledge system
on Africa's own knowledge system
145
478471
4292
08:14
and being able to advocate
for its mainstreaming
for its mainstreaming
146
482787
3000
08:17
in education, in research, policy
147
485811
2847
08:20
across sectors and industries.
148
488682
2055
08:23
Another conversation
and experience I had at the bank
and experience I had at the bank
149
491445
3844
08:27
I guess made me take that final decision
of where I was going to go,
of where I was going to go,
150
495313
4750
08:32
even though it wasn't the most lucrative
research to go into,
research to go into,
151
500087
4024
08:36
but it was just about what I believed in.
152
504135
2317
08:38
And so one day, my boss said
that he likes to go to Africa
that he likes to go to Africa
153
506937
4626
08:43
to negotiate World Bank loans
and to work on World Bank projects.
and to work on World Bank projects.
154
511587
4536
08:48
And I was intrigued. I asked him why.
155
516614
1949
08:50
He said, "Oh, when I go to Africa,
156
518587
2446
08:53
it's so easy.
157
521057
1709
08:55
I just write up my loan documents
and my project proposal in Washington, DC,
and my project proposal in Washington, DC,
158
523255
4658
08:59
I go to Africa, and they all
just get signed.
just get signed.
159
527937
2953
09:02
I get the best deal, and I'm back to base.
160
530914
3388
09:06
My bosses are happy with me."
161
534326
2207
09:08
But then he said,
"I hate going to Asia or ..."
"I hate going to Asia or ..."
162
536933
3687
09:12
and he mentioned a particular country,
Asia and some of these countries.
Asia and some of these countries.
163
540644
3443
09:16
"They keep me for this, trying
to get the best deal for their countries.
to get the best deal for their countries.
164
544111
4023
09:20
They get the best deal.
165
548158
1176
09:21
They tell me, 'Oh,
that clause will not work for us
that clause will not work for us
166
549358
2908
09:24
in our environment.
167
552290
1607
09:25
It's not our reality.
It's just so Western.'
It's just so Western.'
168
553921
2973
09:28
And they tell me, 'Oh,
we have enough experts
we have enough experts
169
556918
3111
09:32
to take care of this.
170
560053
1203
09:33
You don't have enough experts.
171
561280
1621
09:34
We know our aim.'
172
562925
1153
09:36
And they just keep going
through all these things.
through all these things.
173
564102
2445
09:38
By the time they finish,
yes, they get the best deal,
yes, they get the best deal,
174
566571
2520
09:41
but I'm so exhausted and I don't get
the best deal for the bank,
the best deal for the bank,
175
569115
3165
09:44
and we're in business."
176
572304
1179
09:45
"Really?" I thought in my head, "OK."
177
573507
1795
09:47
I was privileged to sit in on
a loan negotiating session
a loan negotiating session
178
575326
4280
09:51
in an African country.
179
579630
1665
09:53
So I would do these consultancy
positions during summer,
positions during summer,
180
581319
2820
09:56
you know, since I was a doctoral student.
181
584163
2684
09:58
And then I traveled with the team,
with the World Bank team,
with the World Bank team,
182
586871
4332
10:03
as more like someone to help out
with organizational matters.
with organizational matters.
183
591227
4316
10:07
But I sat in during
the negotiating session.
the negotiating session.
184
595567
3267
10:11
I had mostly Euro-Americans, you know,
with me from Washington, DC.
with me from Washington, DC.
185
599730
4932
10:16
And I looked across the table
at my African brothers and sisters.
at my African brothers and sisters.
186
604686
4850
10:21
I could see intimidation on their faces.
187
609993
2334
10:24
They didn't believe
they had anything to offer
they had anything to offer
188
612771
2263
10:27
the great-great-grandchildren
of Mungo Park --
of Mungo Park --
189
615058
2288
10:29
the owners of "apple" in "A is for apple."
190
617370
2617
10:32
They just sat and watched:
"Oh, just give us, let us sign.
"Oh, just give us, let us sign.
191
620011
2776
10:34
You own the knowledge. You know it all.
192
622811
1913
10:36
Just, where do we sign?
Show us, let us sign."
Show us, let us sign."
193
624748
2209
10:38
They had no voice.
They didn't believe in themselves.
They didn't believe in themselves.
194
626981
3036
10:46
Excuse me.
195
634544
1183
10:48
And so,
196
636587
1172
10:51
I have been doing this for a decade.
197
639212
2326
10:53
I have been conducting research
on Africa's knowledge system,
on Africa's knowledge system,
198
641562
3444
10:57
original, authentic,
traditional knowledge.
traditional knowledge.
199
645030
2244
10:59
In the few cases where this
has been implemented in Africa,
has been implemented in Africa,
200
647298
3197
11:02
there has been remarkable
successes recorded.
successes recorded.
201
650519
2484
11:05
I think of Gacaca.
202
653027
1537
11:07
Gacaca is Rwanda's traditional
judicial system
judicial system
203
655256
4732
11:12
that was used after the genocide.
204
660012
2094
11:14
In 1994, when the genocide ended,
205
662130
2431
11:18
Rwanda's national court system
was in shambles:
was in shambles:
206
666100
2562
11:20
no judges, no lawyers to try
hundreds of thousands of genocide cases.
hundreds of thousands of genocide cases.
207
668686
5526
11:26
So the government of Rwanda
came up with this idea
came up with this idea
208
674236
3508
11:29
to resuscitate a traditional
judicial system known as Gacaca.
judicial system known as Gacaca.
209
677768
3395
11:33
Gacaca is a community-based
judicial system,
judicial system,
210
681625
3447
11:37
where community members come together
211
685096
2937
11:40
to elect men and women of proven integrity
212
688057
3749
11:43
to try cases of crimes committed
within these communities.
within these communities.
213
691830
4510
11:49
So by the time Gacaca concluded
its trial of genocide cases in 2012,
its trial of genocide cases in 2012,
214
697255
5477
11:55
12,000 community-based courts
had tried approximately 1.2 million cases.
had tried approximately 1.2 million cases.
215
703619
6975
12:03
That's a record.
216
711334
1352
12:05
(Applause)
217
713169
4981
12:10
Most importantly is that Gacaca emphasized
Rwanda's traditional philosophy
Rwanda's traditional philosophy
218
718438
5600
12:16
of reconciliation and reintegration,
219
724062
3093
12:19
as against the whole
punitive and banishment idea
punitive and banishment idea
220
727179
3878
12:23
that undergirds present-day Western style.
221
731081
3722
12:27
And not to compare, but just to say
that it really emphasized
that it really emphasized
222
735481
3895
12:31
Rwanda's traditional method of philosophy.
223
739400
3354
12:35
And so it was Mwalimu Julius Nyerere,
224
743269
2597
12:37
former president of Tanzania --
225
745890
1741
12:39
(Applause)
226
747655
1476
12:41
who said that you cannot develop people.
227
749155
3176
12:44
People will have to develop themselves.
228
752916
3058
12:48
I agree with Mwalimu.
229
756563
1385
12:50
I am convinced
230
758487
1388
12:51
that Africa's further transformation,
Africa's advancement,
Africa's advancement,
231
759899
3623
12:55
rests simply in the acknowledgment,
validation and mainstreaming
validation and mainstreaming
232
763546
4779
13:00
of Africa's own traditional, authentic,
original, indigenous knowledge
original, indigenous knowledge
233
768349
4989
13:05
in education, in research,
in policy making and across sectors.
in policy making and across sectors.
234
773362
4871
13:10
This is not going to be easy for Africa.
235
778816
2517
13:13
It is not going to be easy for a people
used to being told how to think,
used to being told how to think,
236
781357
3464
13:16
what to do, how to go about it,
237
784845
2365
13:19
a people long subjected
to the intellectual guidance
to the intellectual guidance
238
787234
3154
13:22
and direction of others,
239
790412
1742
13:24
be they the colonial masters,
240
792178
1667
13:25
aid industry or international news media.
241
793869
2972
13:28
But it is a task that we have to do
to make progress.
to make progress.
242
796865
3234
13:32
I am strengthened by the words
of Joseph Shabalala,
of Joseph Shabalala,
243
800123
2900
13:35
founder of the South African choral group
Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
244
803047
3474
13:38
He said that the task ahead of us
can never, ever be greater
can never, ever be greater
245
806545
5687
13:44
than the power within us.
246
812256
2153
13:46
We can do it.
247
814433
1158
13:47
We can unlearn looking down on ourselves.
248
815615
2560
13:50
We can learn to place value
on our reality and our knowledge.
on our reality and our knowledge.
249
818199
4195
13:54
Thank you.
250
822418
1155
13:55
(Swahili) Thank you very much.
251
823597
1471
13:57
(Applause)
252
825092
1523
13:58
Thank you. Thank you.
253
826639
2202
14:00
(Applause)
254
828865
4699
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Chika Ezeanya-Esiobu - Indigenous knowledge expertWorking across disciplines, Chika Ezeanya-Esiobu explores homegrown and grassroots approaches to the sustainable advancement of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Why you should listen
Chika Ezeanya-Esiobu is convinced of the ability of Africans to transform the continent by acknowledging the significance of its indigenous knowledge in all fields of human endeavor. A researcher, fiction and non-fiction writer, public intellectual and teacher, Ezeanya-Esiobu has published several research papers on aspects of Africa's indigenous knowledge. She has also been commissioned to conduct indigenous knowledge-based research by the International Development Research Center Canada, United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research,(UNU-WIDER) United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) and The Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), among others.
Ezeanya-Esiobu is the author of the historical fiction book Before We Set Sail. In its manuscript form, Before We Set Sail was one of six shortlisted out of over 250 submissions, made to the Penguin Publishers Award for African Writing in 2010. Following her TEDGlobal 2017 talk, Ezeanya-Esiobu shared an alphabet book series she had written for her daughter: Dr. Chika's ABC for the African Child (2017).
Ezeanya-Esiobu has lived and worked in four countries across three continents, and through her travels she has learned to value integrity, dignity, respect for self and others ... to be open to knowledge, to be happy and to smile a lot with her heart. Her lifetime passion is to contribute to efforts that would see to the unleashing of the suppressed creative and innovative energies buried deep in the hearts and minds of all Africans. She blogs at chikaforafrica.com.
Chika Ezeanya-Esiobu | Speaker | TED.com