Proverbs and Taboos in African Evaluation

Effective evaluation requires a clear guiding philosophy—one that explains what is being evaluated, why the evaluation matters, and how it should be conducted. In African contexts, it is essential that evaluation approaches are rooted in local worldviews and cultural wisdom. This session explores how African proverbs and taboos, particularly those expressed in Swahili, can inform a distinct and meaningful philosophy of evaluation. We will present a framework grounded in this Indigenous knowledge, illustrating how proverbial wisdom can shape our understanding of the nature of what is being evaluated (ontology), how we come to know and understand it (epistemology), the values and ethical principles that should guide our work (axiology), and the effective design and methods for gathering credible information about it (methodology). We will also discuss the practical implications of this approach for conducting development evaluations that are culturally relevant, ethically sound, and contextually grounded.