A cultural heritage scholar, Ayankola Ayanwuyi, says Africa can reshape its education system and boost innovation by drawing from indigenous knowledge systems, especially the Ifa corpus.
Ayanwuyi described Ifa as more than a spiritual tradition, calling it “a vast intellectual archive” with lessons that cut across philosophy, medicine, history, engineering, agriculture, and science.
Representing Nigeria at the UNESCO International Youth Forum on Creativity and Heritage along the Silk Roads in Nanjing and Changsha, China, he said Ifa offers rich insights that can strengthen learning across the continent — from ethics and ecology to mathematics and systems thinking.
According to him, development must align with nature, and indigenous knowledge can help societies find that balance.
“Every people have the tools they need to survive if they look within their system,” he said. “We can innovate from our heritage and build solutions that fit our environment.”
Ayanwuyi also explained that Ifa has long operated on binary logic and statistical patterns, concepts now central to computer science.
“For centuries, Ifa has used a binary structure similar to coding and Boolean logic,” he said, adding that modern data structures such as the 8-bit byte have existed in Ifa knowledge for generations.
The forum brings together 76 young delegates from 45 countries to explore digital innovation, creativity and the preservation of cultural heritage. Ayanwuyi, founder of Dundun Centre, is Nigeria’s representative in the cultural heritage expert category.
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.
