WILL THE KNOWLEDGE SURVIVE? DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND THE TRANSMISSION OF INDIGENOUS MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE IN CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN SOCIETIES

Abstract

Background: The growing proliferation of digital technology is changing the production, storing and transfer of knowledge across society. These changes do indeed provide opportunities to preserve indigenous knowledge, but they also raise critical questions about the transformation, the ownership and the survival of imp indigenous knowledge. In Africa, the indigenous medical knowledge continues to be an essential part of healthcare, though traditional ways of knowledge transmission are threatened with extinction. Methods: This research employs a theoretical and conceptual lens based on medical sociology utilizing Foucault’s related power/knowledge framework, the notion of digital colonialism, and the social construction of knowledge, the paper critically analyzes the interface of digitalization and traditional medical knowledge systems. Results: Digital transformation improves the preservation, access, and scalability of indigenous knowledge, but at the same time makes it vulnerable to loss of knowledge, misappropriation, decontextualization. Such threats are further exacerbated by global digital power imbalances that may give rise to forms of epistemic extraction and digital colonialism. Conclusion: Indigenous medical knowledge is only able to survive through inclusive, ethical and context-sensitive digital frameworks development. Hybrid knowledge systems, ethical AI practices and digital sovereignty are identified as enablers to ensure that digital transformation supports rather than undermines indigenous knowledge system.