Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Transformation of the Academy in African: The Culpip Model

In recent years, calls for transformation of the academy, especially the university
system, in Africa have grown so loud and persistent that they can no longer be
simply ignored. Factors accentuating such calls include the worsening socioeconomic
conditions in Africa ; concerns about the suitability of the Western
system of education to solve Africa's problems; and the emergence of
postmodernism perspectives which recognizes and promotes alternative
methods of knowing, of knowledge creation and utilization.
.The proposed transformation of the academy entails the Africanization of
university-generated 'culture products' which include ideas, knowledge --
whether local (indigenous) or foreign (imported), values, symbols, social
technology, machine technology, and information technology. This is achieved
through the Culture Product lndigenization Process ( CuIPIP) whereby
certain elements of African indigenous knowledge system are fused with those of
foreign (Western) knowledge systems to create new local culture products.