Rethinking African Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Studio Art: An advocacy for <i>Oberi Okaime</i> script of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Abstract

African Indigenous Knowledge Systems (AIKS) constitute all the inventions of African Societies which are independent of western knowledge. These are fundamentally native and aboriginal to a particular African region, society or environment. Much of AIKS abound in various societies in the African Continent. However, most of them are not heard of anymore due, perhaps, to suppression by other cultures – mostly western cultures. Due to this, they are gradually going extinct. Oberi Okaime script of the people of Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria is one such creation from the ingenuity of Africans. This script is undoubtedly, an endangered alphabet. Besides its use for writing, its aesthetic and visual communicative endowments cannot be left to waste. It is on this premise, asides its documentation for posterity, that this paper was set to advocate its use in studio art. The objectives are to reecho the meaning of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) and the meaning of Africa Indigenous Knowledge Systems (AIKS), to discourse Oberi Okaime Script as an African Indigenous Knowledge Systems; to present some images of the script and advocate for its adaptation to motifs in art forms. The study adopted survey method. Data were gathered from secondary and primary sources. Findings show that Oberi Okaime script can be an effective source of inspiration for all genres of Studio Art.