Namibia University of Science and Technology's (NUST) Computer Science Lecturer Heike Winschiers-Theophilus, along with her students, have been committed to preserving Namibia's indigenous cultures through digital technology.
In partnership with the Ovahimba and San communities, the team has created virtual reality experiences, including the San Hunting Story and the Ovahimba's traditional grain storage construction, to showcase and preserve their cultural heritage.
In collaboration with members of the Ovahimba and San communities, the UNESCO Chair's team has pioneered the development of immersive virtual reality experiences that breathe life into Indigenous knowledge.
"The whole point is that indigenous knowledge should not get lost, and it should not just get digitalised and just not up in the cloud, but what we really want is for these schoolchildren to also learn traditional practices, and so what we then do with the cultural experiences is what we've created: we add pedagogical parts to it in order to make sure the children actually learn the practices."
VR has emerged as a powerful tool for cultural preservation and education, offering users an immersive experience that can foster deeper understanding and respect for indigenous practices.
A Master's student in computing and informatics, Kaulyaalalwa Peter provided insights into the technical aspects of the design.
"I am digitising one of their processes; that has been a very interesting process because of the co-design aspect because we obviously want it to be culturally validated experiences and models interactions, and it has been interesting to see the nuances of what exactly is what they look at in terms of cultural validation—the way someone walks or dresses—even the entire process we would validate."
The IK Cluster has partnered with People's Primary School in Katutura, engaging learners in a co-design process to create educational technologies.
Thirteen-year-old Rodriques Gawaseb, a learner from People's Primary School, shared wise words on the significance of culture and tradition.
"You should respect culture and tradition and follow the orders that they were given so they don't make mistakes in the future or even now."