Digital Platforms and Ancient African Knowledge Systems: Triumphs and Vulnerabilities

Announced by the University of Pittsburgh:

The focus of this presentation is on media sharing, knowledge, search and service platforms, and their intersections with ancient African Knowledges. The ingenuity of ancient Africa in chemistry, ceramics, metallurgy, textiles, and writing systems is explored during the discourse, and so, too, issues associated with intellectual property rights and colonial appropriation and plunder of African artifacts. The positive gains and contributions associated with digitization, in general, and digital platforms, in particular, are examined, and so, too, the accompanying constraints that stem from the global digital divide and “digital platform” imperialism.