Rewarding Traditional Knowledge and Contemporary Grassroots Creativity: :The Role of Intellectual Property Protection

The creative and innovative traditions in various developing countries have been masked by historical misrepresentations by outsiders as well as by pedagogic and policy-induced blinders domestically. From an early age students learn the major inventions made by Europeans, and rightly so, but seldom do they learn about grassroots or higher level inventions and innovations developed by local individuals, institutions or communities with in their respective countries. When local contributions are indeed taught, these are recalled with terminology which may generate disdain rather than respect for native genius. But this is only one reason why the possibility of building upon grassroots traditions of invention and innovation has not been pursued in most developing countries. There are several other possible reasons for this, such as: a lack of awareness about such traditions among policy planners, the education systems, and civil society at large; the influence of aid agencies whose work often results in increased dependency rather than selfreliance; an education system which does not create curiosity and an experimental ethic and instead reinforces a culture of compliance and conformity; the science and technology establishment which does not encourage local traditions even if they are functional and viable, whether in the past or in the present; the increasing influence of the media which popularize Western images of progress and so-called ”Development” rather than indigenous notions of the same; the lifestyles of the elite which do not inspire any respect for local knowledge systems;