Hello, my name is Dr. Adeyemo Adetogun (ETR Services LLC), originally from the Yoruba ethnic group in southwestern Nigeria, and I have lived experiences in other Western and Southern Africa.
Impactful evaluation begins with cultural humility and a commitment to embracing perspectives beyond our own. When working with indigenous communities in Africa, it’s essential to approach our work with respect and a willingness to learn. These communities, with their rich histories and unique worldviews, offer invaluable insights that Western evaluation methods often overlook. Today, I’ll share some tips, tricks, resources, and lessons learned to help us all become more culturally responsive evaluators.
Hot Tips
Understand the Cultural Dynamics
African indigenous communities are incredibly diverse, with over 3,000 distinct ethnic groups across the continent. For example, the Yoruba in West Africa, the Maasai in East Africa, the Berbers in North Africa, and the Zulu in Southern Africa represent just a few of the continent’s cultural richness. These groups have been custodians of their land and traditions for centuries, and their perspectives are critical in understanding the communities they represent.
When evaluating within these communities, it’s crucial to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach. Recognize the unique contributions of each community and respect their values and traditions. Standardized surveys might miss the nuances of oral traditions or collective decision-making processes. Instead, learn about the community’s cultural dynamics and adapt your methods accordingly. This enhances the accuracy of your evaluation and builds trust within the community.
Embrace Culturally Responsive Methodologies
Culturally responsive and collaborative methodologies are key to successful evaluations in indigenous settings. Engaging with communities as partners ensures that your evaluation is both relevant and respectful.
Involve indigenous leaders and community members in the design and implementation of your evaluation. Among the San community of Botswana, for example, elders play a central role in decision-making, they are highly respected for their experience, knowledge, and wisdom. Involving them in your evaluation process makes your work more culturally relevant and empowers the community by acknowledging their expertise and agency. Remember, evaluation should be reciprocal—offer something in return, whether it’s capacity-building, accessible results, or resources that address the community’s needs.
Lessons Learned
The Limitations of Western Evaluation Methods
Western evaluation methods can be a double-edged sword in indigenous settings. The focus on quantitative data, standardized metrics, and rigid frameworks often fails to capture the full picture, especially when dealing with rich, qualitative indigenous knowledge systems.
During an evaluation of a health initiative in a Yoruba community, I initially used a standardized survey. It quickly became clear that the survey didn’t account for the community’s oral traditions or collective decision-making processes, which are central to Yoruba culture. This experience taught me that a more culturally responsive approach was needed—one that prioritized listening, relationship-building, and co-creating evaluation tools with the community.
Moving Forward: Commit to Cultural Humility
As evaluators, it’s our responsibility to ensure that our work respects and uplifts the communities we engage with. This means committing to cultural humility, adapting our methods, and embracing collaborative, non-extractive approaches.
Rad Resources
If you want to deepen your understanding of culturally responsive evaluation, check out these resources that offer valuable insights into working respectfully and effectively with indigenous communities:
- Indigenous Pathways into Social Research: Voices of a New Generation by Donna M. Mertens, Fiona Cram, and Bagele Chilisa (Editors)
- Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples by Linda Tuhiwai Smith
- Cultural Competence in Evaluation: An Overview by SenGupta, Hopson, and Thompson-Robinson
- Watch Cultural Humility: People, Principles and Practices by Vivian Chávez
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