The loss of environmental knowledge: digital platforms and indigenous games in southern Africa

Abstract

Environmental knowledge is an area of epistemology in which the elderly population, particularly in rural areas, are recognised as integral transmitters. One of the traditional ways in which this knowledge is imparted to the younger generations is through the use of entertainment such as indigenous games (Bogopa 2012: 246). Indigenous games are not merely a socialisation tool; instead, they are often used to facilitate the transmission of values and norms directed towards the preservation and conservation of nature. Despite their significance, there continues to be a lack of recognition of these alternative mediums and indigenous knowledge holders. Using critical theory rooted in a decolonial position, I aim to critically analyse indigenous games in the growing digital landscape by considering the intersectional consequences of dismissing the ecological episteme gained from indigenous games as well as considering how this affects epistemic hubs such as the elderly population – particularly ooMakhulu (elderly women). I will argue that the failure to integrate indigenous games on to digital platforms poses further risks on multiple axes, which include the extinction of the elderly’s roles in the younger generation’s lives, the loss of important cultural and heritage values, and the obliteration of indigenous environmental teachings.