Utilisation of Indigenous Knowledge in the Teaching and Learning of Disaster Management in Zimbabwean Universities

The utility of indigenous knowledge in the teaching and learning of disaster management in Zimbabwean universities in Africa remains low. This chapter benefits from a document review of course content, syllabi and published literature on disaster risk management as well as interviews with disaster management practitioners. Most of the course content is flooded with Eurocentric and Westernised theories, models and frameworks in the teaching and learning of disaster management, whereas the contribution of indigenous knowledge in the teaching and learning of disaster risk management is insignificant. However, a few Zimbabwean scholars have researched the contribution of indigenous knowledge in the management of disaster risks. Overreliance on Western and Eurocentric models, theories and frameworks by Zimbabwean universities is a practical and academic problem that calls for African solutions. To this end, this chapter explores strategies that can enhance the shift from the Westernised and Eurocentred approaches and advance indigenous knowledge in the teaching of disaster risk management. This chapter recommends the development of courses dedicated to teaching and learning of indigenous knowledge in disaster management in Zimbabwe, and this can be achieved through deliberately designing policies towards enhancing the inclusion of indigenous knowledge in disaster risk management education.