Watch Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim's TED Talk on How Indigenous Knowledge Can Help Fight Climate Change
The Chadian activist—and one of OkayAfrica's 100 Women 2020—says traditional knowledge, as practiced in her native Mbororo community, is one of the keys to combatting climate change.
In a new TED Talk, climate activist, geographer and one of OkayAfrica's 100 Women 2020, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, discusses the role that indigenous knowledge can play in combatting climate change.
During the 13-minute talk, Ibrahim emphasizes how the exploration and acceptance of various knowledge systems–including those that fall outside of the scope of typical scientific research–can add to our understanding of ways to protect the environment. "I think, if we put together all the knowledge systems that we have -- science, technology, traditional knowledge -- we can give the best of us to protect our peoples, to protect our planet, to restore the ecosystem that we are losing," says Ibrahim.
The activist spoke about how these methods have been applied within her native Mbororo community in Chad. "So we use our indigenous people's traditional knowledge to get better resilience to what we need to survive," says the activist. She expands on how such knowledge can be universally applied to fight the effects of climate change: "Our knowledge is not only for our communities. It's to share with each and others who are living with us."
Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim is the President of the Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad. She has received several accolades for her work in environmental advocacy. In 2017 she was named one of National Geographic's Emerging Explorers.
During these times of global uncertainty, Ibrahim's words encourage us to work towards finding sustainable solutions that can, hopefully, transform our planet.
Watch her full TED Talk below.
