The Ulwazi Programme is an initiative of the eThekwini Municipal Library to preserve the indigenous knowledge of local communities in the greater Durban area. This innovation, developed and implemented by the Software Applications Section of the Libraries, is based on a bottom-up model through which online indigenous knowledge resources are established as an integral part of local Public Library and Information Services. Web 2.0 technologies are used to create a collaborative online local indigenous knowledge database.
The main objective of the programme is the provision of a sustainable environment to enable ordinary members of Durban communities to preserve the knowledge about their culture, history and environment. The programme relies on community participation for the collection of local information and makes use of volunteer fieldworkers to drive the programme at ground level. Local indigenous knowledge is captured through the full spectrum of media and made available online through the Ulwazi website.
