The Psychology in Art and Design for Artefactual Development in Africa: Reflections on Indigenous Technical Knowledge

Abstract

Indigenous African societies’ lives revolve around arts and the creation of artefacts. The design of art and artefacts employs abilities defined by the communities as important, according to their belief systems, hence the reference to implicit theories of intelligence. Implicit theories of intelligence were found to be related to indigenous technical knowledge (ITK) that was employed in designing artefacts and arts. These designs and the eventual use of the artefacts and arts have an impact on the development of social norms that shaped the indigenous ways of life. The authors employed a narrative review aimed at finding and summarising existing literature while seeking to identify novel areas of study. The review included papers that informed on architecture and art, tools and implements designs in Africa. Thematic analysis was used to identify recurrent themes that pointed to the existence of implicit theories of intelligence and the creation of social norms through the design and use of art and artefacts. The themes identified included optimal use of strengths and minimisation of weaknesses as a sign of intelligence, design of artefacts for functionality purposes, design as a process of adaption, design as a sign of social status and design as a process to ensure equitable role distribution