How Africa can use its traditional knowledge to make progress | Chika Ezeanya-Esiobu

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

Some months back, I was visiting this East African city,

幾個月之前，我造訪了 一個東非的城市，

and we were stuck in traffic.

塞車讓我們被卡在車陣中。

And this vendor suddenly approaches my window

有個小販突然靠近我的車窗，

with a half-opened alphabet sheet.

拿著一張打開一半的字母表。

I took a quick look at the alphabet sheet,

我快速看了一眼這張字母表，

and I thought of my daughter,

我想起了我的女兒，

how it would be nice to spread it on the floor

如果能把這張表攤在地板上，

and just play all over it with her

和她在上面玩耍，

while getting her to learn the alphabet.

同時能讓她學會字母，該有多好？

So the traffic moved a bit, and I quickly grabbed a copy,

車陣開始有在動了， 所以我很快就買了一份，

and we moved on.

我們就繼續前進。

When I had time to fully open the alphabet sheet

當我有空把這張字母表完全打開，

and take a more detailed look at it,

並更仔細地去看它時，

I knew I was not going to use that to teach my daughter.

我就知道我不會用它 來教我女兒字母了。

I regretted my purchase.

我很後悔買了它。

Why so?

為什麼會這樣？

Looking at the alphabet sheet reminded me of the fact

看著這張字母表， 我想起了一件事實，

that not much has changed

非洲的教育課程

in the education curricula in Africa.

並沒有多少改變。

Some decades back, I was taught out of a similar alphabet sheet.

幾十年前，我也是用 類似的字母表在學習的。

And because of that, I struggled for years.

正因如此，我掙扎了很多年。

I struggled to reconcile my reality with the formal education I received

我很難把現實和在學校受的正規教育

in school, in the schools I attended.

對應連結起來。

I had identity crises.

我有身份危機。

I looked down on my reality.

我輕視我的現實。

I looked at my ancestry, I looked at my lineage with disrespect.

我看待我的血統、出身時， 是帶著輕蔑的。

I had very little patience for what my life had to offer around me.

對於周遭人生能帶給我什麼， 我非常沒耐心去了解。

Why?

為什麼？

"A is for apple."

「A 代表蘋果」。 （註：蘋果 apple 是 A 開頭）

"A is for apple."

「A 代表蘋果」。

"A is for apple" is for that child in that part of the world

「A 代表蘋果」是說給

世上有蘋果生長的地方的孩童聽的；

where apples grow out;

who has an apple in her lunch bag;

他們的便當袋中有蘋果，

who goes to the grocery store with her mom and sees red,

他們和媽媽去雜貨店時會看到紅色、

green, yellow -- apples of all shapes and colors and sizes.

綠色、黃色……各種 形狀、顏色、大小的蘋果。

And so, introducing education to this child

所以，對於像這樣的孩子，

with an alphabet sheet like this

用這張字母單來教育他們，

fulfills one of the major functions of education,

確能實現一些教育的重要功能，

which is to introduce the learner

這些功能是：讓學習者學會

to an appreciation of the learner's environment

欣賞和感念他的周遭環境，

and a curiosity to explore more in order to add value.

並能夠有好奇心去 進一步探索，來增加價值。

In my own case,

在我自己的情況，

when and where I grew up in Africa,

我在非洲長大的地方，在那個年代，

apple was an exotic fruit.

蘋果是外來水果。

Two or three times a year,

一年有兩、三次，

I could get some yellowish apples with brown dots, you know,

我可以拿到黃色的蘋果， 上面有褐色斑點，你知道的，

signifying thousands of miles traveled -- warehouses storing --

象徵它經過數千英哩的 旅程、倉儲、分類，

to get to me.

才來到我手上。

I grew up in the city

我在城市長大，

to very financially comfortable parents,

父母經濟上算優渥，

so it was my dignified reality,

那是我有尊嚴的現實，

exactly the same way

就像

cassava fufu or ugali would not regularly feature

美式、中式、印度式的食物通常不會

in an American, Chinese or Indian diet,

以木薯芙芙月或烏咖哩為號召一樣，

apples didn't count as part of my reality.

蘋果並不算是我的現實的一部份。

So what this did to me,

所以，這對我的影響，

introducing education to me with "A is for apple,"

用「A 代表蘋果」的方式 來讓我接觸教育，

made education an abstraction.

讓教育變得很抽象。

It made it something out of my reach --

教育已非我觸手可及，

a foreign concept,

而是一個外來的概念，

a phenomenon for which I would have to constantly and perpetually seek

是一種現象，且我得要 經常地且無止境地

the validation of those it belonged to

去向這概念所屬的人尋求驗證，

for me to make progress within it and with it.

我才能在這種教育學習中有所進步。

That was tough for a child; it would be tough for anyone.

那對孩子來說是很艱難的； 對任何人來說都是。

As I grew up and I advanced academically,

隨著我成長以及在學術上進步，

my reality was further separated from my education.

我的現實與教育之間的落差又更大了。

In history, I was taught

歷史方面，我被教導的是

that the Scottish explorer Mungo Park discovered the Niger River.

蘇格蘭探險家蒙戈帕克 發現了尼日河。

And so it bothered me.

那讓我感到困擾。

My great-great-grandparents grew up

我的曾曾祖父長大的地方

quite close to the edge of the Niger River.

很靠近尼日河畔。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And it took someone to travel thousands of miles from Europe

竟然需要一個人 從歐洲跋涉數千英哩，

to discover a river right under their nose?

去發現一條就在眼前的河流？

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

No!

不會吧！

(Applause and cheers)

（掌聲及歡呼聲）

What did they do with their time?

他們把時間拿來做什麼了？

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Playing board games, roasting fresh yams,

玩桌上遊戲、烤新鮮山芋、

fighting tribal wars?

打部落戰爭？

I mean, I just knew my education was preparing me to go somewhere else

我的意思是，我知道我受的教育 是準備將來為我所用，去別處，

and practice and give to another environment that it belonged to.

用在這教育原本歸屬的另一個地方，

It was not for my environment, where and when I grew up.

而不是為用在我成長的環境準備的。

And this continued.

這現象持續下去，

This philosophy undergirded my studies

這教育原理貫穿、固定了

all through the time I studied in Africa.

整個我在非洲所受教育的底部。

It took a lot of experiences and some studies

我經過了很多的經歷並做了些研究，

for me to begin to have a change of mindset.

才得以開始改變我的心態。

I will share a couple of the remarkable ones with us.

我會和各位分享其中很棒的幾個。

I was in the United States in Washington, DC

當我在美國的華盛頓特區

studying towards my doctorate,

攻讀我的博士學位，

and I got this consultancy position with the World Bank Africa Region.

我得到了世界銀行 非洲地區的顧問職位。

And so I remember one day,

記得有一天，

my boss -- we were having a conversation on some project,

我和老闆討論某個專案計畫，

and he mentioned a particular World Bank project,

他提到了一個特別的 世界銀行專案計畫，

a large-scale irrigation project that cost millions of dollars

一個要花費數百萬元，

位於尼日的大規模灌溉專案計畫，

in Niger Republic

that was faltering sustainably.

這個專案漸漸失去動力。

He said this project wasn't so sustainable,

他說，這個計畫並不永續，

and it bothered those that instituted the whole package.

使得那些創制此一計畫的人很傷腦筋。

But then he mentioned a particular project,

他接著提到另一個特別的專案計畫，

a particular traditional irrigation method that was hugely successful

同樣在尼日，世界銀行 專案計畫失敗的地方，

這個使用傳統灌溉方法的 計畫卻大為成功。

in the same Niger Republic where the World Bank project was failing.

And that got me thinking.

那就讓我開始思考。

So I did further research,

所以我進一步研究，

and I found out about Tassa.

我發現了「Tassa」，

Tassa is a traditional irrigation method

Tassa 是一種傳統的灌溉方法，

where 20- to 30-centimeter-wide and 20- to 30-centimeter-deep holes

要挖 20~30 公分寬、 20~30 公分深的洞，

are dug across a field to be cultivated.

且在整個要耕作的田地都要挖滿洞。

Then, a small dam is constructed around the field,

接著要在田地周圍建造一個小水壩，

and then crops are planted across the surface area.

再把作物種在整個表面區域。

What happens is that when rain falls,

原理是，當降雨的時候，

the holes are able to store the water

這些洞可以儲存雨水，

and appropriate it to the extent that the plant needs the water.

並依據植物對水的需要來分配水。

The plant can only assimilate as much water as needed

植物只會吸收它們需要的水量，

until harvest time.

就這樣直到收穫時節。

Niger is 75 percent scorched desert,

尼日有 75% 都是炎熱的沙漠，

so this is something that is a life-or-death situation,

所以這是個攸關生死的情況，

and it has been used for centuries.

這個方法已經用了數個世紀。

In an experiment that was conducted,

在一項實驗中，

two similar plots of land were used in the experiment,

使用了兩塊類似的土地，

and one plot of land

在其中一塊土地上

did not have the Tassa technique on it.

沒有使用 Tassa 技術，

Similar plots.

另一塊類似的土地

The other one had Tassa technique constructed on it.

用了 Tassa 技術，

Then similar grains of millet also were planted on both plots.

在兩塊土地上種植小米。

During harvest time,

在收穫時節，

the plot of land without Tassa technique

沒有用 Tassa 技術的那塊土地

yielded 11 kilograms of millet per hectare.

每公頃收成了 11 公斤的小米；

The plot of land with Tassa technique

有用 Tassa 技術的那塊土地

yielded 553 kilograms of millet per hectare.

每公頃收成了 553 公斤的小米。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

I looked at the research, and I looked at myself.

我看著研究，看著我自己。

I said, "I studied agriculture for 12 years,

我研究農業長達 12 年之久，

from primary to Senior Six, as we say in East Africa,

在我們東非的說法 是從小學到中學六年，

SS3 in West Africa or 12th grade.

而在西非則是 SS3 或十二年級。

No one ever taught me

學校從來沒教過我

of any form of traditional African knowledge of cultivation --

任何一種能被成功地用在現代非洲的

of harvesting, of anything --

傳統非洲耕作知識，

that will work in modern times and actually succeed,

不管是收穫知識或其他的耕作知識；

where something imported from the West would struggle to succeed.

而來自的西方的耕作方式 卻苦苦掙扎，難以在非洲成功。

That was when I knew the challenge,

那時，我知道了挑戰是什麼，

the challenge of Africa's curricula,

非洲課程的挑戰是什麼。

And I thus began my quest to dedicate my life, concern my life work,

因此，我開始了我的追尋， 將我的一生致力於

to studying, conducting research on Africa's own knowledge system

研究非洲自己本身的知識系統，

and being able to advocate for its mainstreaming

並且提倡它，讓它能在 主流教育、學術、

in education, in research, policy

政策等領域被大多數人所接受，

across sectors and industries.

能跨部門也能跨產業被接受。

Another conversation and experience I had at the bank

我在銀行的另一段對話和經歷，

I guess made me take that final decision of where I was going to go,

讓我對於人生的方向 算是做出了終於決定，

even though it wasn't the most lucrative research to go into,

雖然我選擇的研究領域 並不能幫我賺大錢，

but it was just about what I believed in.

但那是我相信的領域。

And so one day, my boss said that he likes to go to Africa

所以有一天，我的老闆說， 他喜歡去非洲

to negotiate World Bank loans and to work on World Bank projects.

商談世界銀行貸款的事， 及處理世界銀行的專案計畫。

And I was intrigued. I asked him why.

我很好奇，我問他為什麼？

He said, "Oh, when I go to Africa,

他說：「喔，當我去非洲，

it's so easy.

是很輕鬆的。

I just write up my loan documents and my project proposal in Washington, DC,

我只要在華盛頓特區寫好 貸款文件及專案計畫提案書，

I go to Africa, and they all just get signed.

去非洲，讓所有文件被簽名即可。

I get the best deal, and I'm back to base.

我拿到最好的合同， 然後我就可以回基地了。

My bosses are happy with me."

我的老闆都對我很滿意。」

But then he said, "I hate going to Asia or ..."

但接著他說：「我討厭去亞洲。」

and he mentioned a particular country, Asia and some of these countries.

他提到了某個特定國家， 亞洲，及其中一些國家。

"They keep me for this, trying to get the best deal for their countries.

「他們會拖著我，試圖為 他們國家拿到最好的合同。

They get the best deal.

他們得到最好的合同。

They tell me, 'Oh, that clause will not work for us

他們告訴我：『喔，那條條文不行，

in our environment.

在我們的環境行不通。

It's not our reality. It's just so Western.'

不符合現實。太西式了。』

And they tell me, 'Oh, we have enough experts

他們還告訴我：『 喔，我們有足夠的專家

to take care of this.

來處理這事。

You don't have enough experts.

你沒有足夠的專家。

We know our aim.'

我們知道我們自己的目標。』

And they just keep going through all these things.

他們不斷仔細研究這些東西。

By the time they finish, yes, they get the best deal,

等他們結束了，是的， 他們拿到了最好的合同，

but I'm so exhausted and I don't get the best deal for the bank,

但我累死了，而且我沒有 為銀行拿到最好的合同，

而我們是在做生意。」

and we're in business."

"Really?" I thought in my head, "OK."

「真的？」我腦中在想：「好吧。」

I was privileged to sit in on a loan negotiating session

我很幸運可以參與一場貸款協商會，

in an African country.

它在一個非洲國家舉行。

So I would do these consultancy positions during summer,

在夏天時，我會做這些顧問的職務，

you know, since I was a doctoral student.

你知道的，因為我是博士生。

And then I traveled with the team, with the World Bank team,

接著我和團隊一起旅行， 和世界銀行團隊一起旅行，

as more like someone to help out with organizational matters.

我比較像是協助處理組織事務的人。

But I sat in during the negotiating session.

但在協商會的時候我可以列席。

I had mostly Euro-Americans, you know, with me from Washington, DC.

和我同行的多半是來自 華盛頓特區的歐美裔人士。

And I looked across the table at my African brothers and sisters.

我看向桌子的對面， 那邊坐的是我的非洲兄弟姐妹。

I could see intimidation on their faces.

我看得見他們臉上被嚇住的表情。

They didn't believe they had anything to offer

他們不認為他們有什麼可提供給

the great-great-grandchildren of Mungo Park --

坐在面前的那些蒙戈帕克後裔。

the owners of "apple" in "A is for apple."

「A 代表蘋果」中 「蘋果」的擁有者。

They just sat and watched: "Oh, just give us, let us sign.

他們只是坐著看：「喔， 給我們就好，讓我們簽。

You own the knowledge. You know it all.

你們擁有知識。你們全知。

Just, where do we sign? Show us, let us sign."

只要告訴我們在哪簽字。 指出來，我們簽字。」

They had no voice. They didn't believe in themselves.

他們沒有聲音。他們不相信自己。

Excuse me.

對不起。

And so,

所以，

I have been doing this for a decade.

十年來我都在做這件事。

I have been conducting research on Africa's knowledge system,

我都在研究非洲的知識系統，

original, authentic, traditional knowledge.

原始的、真實的、傳統的知識。

In the few cases where this has been implemented in Africa,

在已經被導入這個系統的 少數非洲案例中，

there has been remarkable successes recorded.

結果非凡地成功。

I think of Gacaca.

我會想到加卡卡。

Gacaca is Rwanda's traditional judicial system

加卡卡是盧安達的 傳統司法審判體制，

that was used after the genocide.

從大屠殺之後就在使用。

In 1994, when the genocide ended,

在 1994 年，大屠殺結束之後，

Rwanda's national court system was in shambles:

盧安達的國家法庭體制搖晃不穩：

no judges, no lawyers to try hundreds of thousands of genocide cases.

沒有法官、沒有律師來審理 成千上百的大屠殺案件。

So the government of Rwanda came up with this idea

所以盧安達的政府想出了一個點子，

to resuscitate a traditional judicial system known as Gacaca.

重新恢復使用一個傳統的 司法審判體制，加卡卡。

Gacaca is a community-based judicial system,

加卡卡是個以社區為基礎 的司法審判體制，

where community members come together

社區的成員聚集在一起，

to elect men and women of proven integrity

選出被證實很廉正的男人及女人，

to try cases of crimes committed within these communities.

來審理在這些社區內 犯下的犯罪案件。

So by the time Gacaca concluded its trial of genocide cases in 2012,

到 2012 年加卡卡完成了 大屠殺案件的審理，

12,000 community-based courts had tried approximately 1.2 million cases.

12,000 個以社區為基礎的法庭， 審理完了近 120 萬件案件。

That's a record.

那是一項記錄。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Most importantly is that Gacaca emphasized Rwanda's traditional philosophy

最重要的是，加卡卡 強調盧安達的傳統哲學，

of reconciliation and reintegration,

調解與再融合，

as against the whole punitive and banishment idea

而不是用現今西方模式立基的

that undergirds present-day Western style.

懲罰性與禁止的想法。

And not to compare, but just to say that it really emphasized

我不是要做比較， 只是說加卡卡真的很強調

Rwanda's traditional method of philosophy.

盧安達的傳統哲學方法。

And so it was Mwalimu Julius Nyerere,

是朱利葉斯尼雷爾，

former president of Tanzania --

坦尚尼亞的前任總統，

(Applause)

（掌聲）

who said that you cannot develop people.

他說，你無法發展人民。

People will have to develop themselves.

人們得要發展他們自己。

I agree with Mwalimu.

我同意前總統說的。

I am convinced

我相信，

that Africa's further transformation, Africa's advancement,

非洲的進一步轉變、非洲的進步，

rests simply in the acknowledgment, validation and mainstreaming

要仰賴的是去承認、驗證、 讓大多數人接受

of Africa's own traditional, authentic, original, indigenous knowledge

非洲自己的傳統、真實、 原始、本土的知識，

in education, in research, in policy making and across sectors.

在教育、研究、政策制訂、 及跨各部門都要這麼做。

This is not going to be easy for Africa.

對非洲而言，這不容易做到。

It is not going to be easy for a people used to being told how to think,

對於人民而言這也不容易做到， 因為他們習慣了被告知

what to do, how to go about it,

要怎麼做、要做什麼、 如何養成習慣，

a people long subjected to the intellectual guidance

這些人民長期受到

其他知識份子的指引和指導，

and direction of others,

be they the colonial masters,

他們順從殖民主人，

aid industry or international news media.

那些援助產業或國際新聞媒體的人。

But it is a task that we have to do to make progress.

但這是我們必須要努力進展的任務，

I am strengthened by the words of Joseph Shabalala,

約瑟夫查巴拉拉的話讓我找到力量，

founder of the South African choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

他是南非唱詩團體 雷村黑斧合唱團的創辦人。

He said that the task ahead of us can never, ever be greater

他說，我們眼前要面對的任務，

絕不可能比我們內在的力量更強大。

than the power within us.

We can do it.

我們能做到。

We can unlearn looking down on ourselves.

我們可以捨棄看輕自己的想法。

We can learn to place value on our reality and our knowledge.

我們能學會將價值放在 我們的現實和知識上。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Swahili) Thank you very much.

（斯華西里語）非常謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Thank you. Thank you.

謝謝。謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）