ABOUT CIKOD
My name is CIKOD and I am provoking “New” ways of thinking about how rural communities can strengthen themselves organisationally in order to deal with their development problems. They are not really new because what I am talking about is seeing what is already there. How obvious this sounds, and it is obvious! Unfortunately, the presumption has been that what is there is not really part of today’s modern world. The status that “modern society” has achieved has caused everyone, including rural people themselves, to undervalue what they already have.

I am one of those paradigm shifters, challenging others about the way they look at the world. Perhaps it would be more correct to say that I have extended a “new” paradigm that came to us a decade or two (or more?) ago. This paradigm shifted thinking so as to start recognizing the value of indigenous knowledge. Until then, the emphasis had been on bringing new information/knowledge to rural people in order to “develop them”. The focus in that first wave of attention on indigenous knowledge related to indigenous technologies. What I have done is to extend this to include the systems and structures and practices at community level. I am really a mirror cleaner for the community to look at itself more clearly.
Read More>>

01
CIKOD - Sunyani Office

 

CIKOD - WA Office

 

 


NANANOM - "Traditional Authorities and thier Role in Community Development" Center for Indigenous Knowledge and Organizational Development (CIKOD) Work in Progress
<< View Slide Show>>

 

 

 

 

 

Member Area
More Website Templates @ Templates.com!

Some Quotes

  • CIKOD associate remarked, 'this exercise has been very helpful; TAs are now aware of their role as development agents. Now they do not wait for us to come to them. They have begun to take thier own initiatives. It makes our work easier. In fact, it is very good'. Issue of professionalism in research vis a vis community awreness.

  • Traditional rulers talked about the issue of CIKOD helping to bring back their heritage and reclaim what has been lost. ‘ We are now powerless as chiefs, but if we can organize ourselves, we can take account of the people’s commonality and forge a common path forward’. ‘ They (CIKOD) are creating awareness in our indigenous resources’.
  • In the past, we (chiefs) could not meet because the issue of who owes allegiance to whom, but now, because of the creation of this house, we can all meet at a common forum and amicably discuss issues’ Development should build on what people have, not on what we think they need’. S.B Kendie.

  • Normally a chief may think that he or she is the authority of the community and thus has all the right to do what he or she wants to do but this has nothing to do with evelopment now personally I have seen that I am accountable to the people and I need to listen to them. It is the exposure I have had from CIKOD that have placed me in this particular role. The stage I have reached and to spread this out to other people here I am facing some difficulties.
    Nana Tabi, 2004.