Rwanda: Researchers urged to utilise indigenous knowledge

Researchers in the country have been urged to draw on indigenous knowledge in specific disaster response mechanisms, reports the New Times.

Dr Christine Gasingirwa, the director-general of science, research and innovation at the Ministry of Education, made the remarks while speaking at a national conference on disaster risk reduction in Kigali on Monday.

Seraphine Mukantabana, the Minister for Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (MIDIMAR), said indigenous knowledge is essential for early prevention of disasters. She said, “disasters occurred even before the contemporary technologies we use to forecast them. However, despite the absence of those sophisticated tools, our ancestors had different ways to forecast. Those practices and knowledge could not be upheld and complemented with the current technologies for better prevention.”