Building a Citizen and Inclusive Scientific Culture: Dialogue between Indigenous Knowledge and Education for Sustainable Innovation in the Lékoumou Department of the Republic of Congo

Abstract

Abstract

This article explores the problematic dialogue between the traditional knowledge of the indigenous peoples of the Lékoumou and science education. It highlights a triple paradox: poverty that forces communities into unsustainable practices, a formal education system that marginalizes rather than integrates, and institutional failure that hinders the implementation of sustainable solutions. Drawing on field interviews and the work of researchers such as Amartya Sen, Paulo Freire, Pierre Bourdieu, and Elinor Ostrom, the study proposes that the solution lies in the co-construction of knowledge. This participatory development and education model aims to reconcile the peoples of the Lékoumou with their institutions and equip them to become agents of their own sustainable innovation, drawing on their rich cultural heritage and their knowledge of the environment.

Keywords:  Indigenous peoples, Traditional knowledge, Science education, Sustainable development, Lékoumou