An indigenous approach to bridging the digital divide

Abstract

Knowledge, information and communication are at the core of the emerging global Information Society. Knowledge, information and communication, however, are culturally defined concepts and expressions. Also, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) - the medium for disseminating and communicating knowledge and information - are cultural products of the society that has developed them. Indigenous Peoples have their own concepts of knowledge, information and communication and have developed their own forms of information communication. Therefore Indigenous Peoples need to take part in the Information Society on their own terms and on the basis of their cultural backgrounds, to be able to shape their future without risking to lose their cultures and identities. This project aims to contribute to this process by addressing four major aspects: identification and development of culturally appropriate ICT applications; elaboration of Indigenous approaches and strategies to bridge the digital divide; design of culturally appropriate capacity-building tools; elaboration of culturally appropriate development strategies for utilisation of ICTs for poverty reduction. © 2005 by International Federation for Information Processing.