Preserving Indigenous Traditions and Values

One of most important elements of any smart village concept and implementation is consideration of the cultural and social traditions and values that are intrinsic and indigenous to the village community. In this, development of smart villages contrasts with that of smart cities. This chapter takes two examples, one from Africa and one from North America, to illustrate why indigenous values matter and how the perceived intelligence and awareness of any group of people is only relative to the level of development in that community.