The role of African proverbs in advancing information systems research

Abstract

Despite the richness of African proverbs, they have been muted in information systems (IS) research. This explicitly contributes to the lag in developing information systems and technology solutions for African people by African researchers in African terms. It is on this basis that two related objectives were formulated: (1) to examine the role which African proverbs can play in further advancing IS research, and (2) to understand how the concept can be employed to indigenize IS research. Qualitative data were collected from different sources, and the dimension of social change from structuration theory was employed to examine the role African proverbs can significantly play in advancing IS research. The analysis reveals that African proverbs can be employed in all stages of IS research, from problematizing the phenomenon, data collection to data analysis and interpretation of findings.