Participation of Dr. Awuor Ponge at the EvalIndigenous Events at the Canadian Evaluation Society (CES) Conference 2024

​It was a wonderful experience taking part in the Canadian Evaluation Society (CES) Conference 2024 held in the beautiful city of Fredericton that boasts of the nick-name Eqpahak. The Maliseet word 'Eqpahak' means 'the place where the tide stops.’ The Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) who are the indigenous peoples in Canada stay along the Saint John River Valley, which goes by the name Wolastoq, meaning “the beautiful and bounteous river” in the Maliseet language, while Wolastoqiyik means “the People of the Beautiful River”. The Wolastoqey Nation are members of the Wabanaki Confederacy, (People of the Dawn). It was great learning all this beautiful history so as to be able to derive similarities with the histories of the indigenous people of Africa.

Photo 1: EvalIndigenous members Awuor Ponge, Randika De Mel, Fiona Cram, Madhuka Liyanagamage, Dulmina Chamathkara, and Serge Eric Yakeu Djiam preparing to set off for the Sweat Lodge

This was my fifth visit to Canada and each time I’m mesmerised by the acknowledgment of the owners of the lands on which events take place. I have been to Ottawa, Halifax, Vancouver, Quebec City and this time round in Fredericton, the capital city of the Canadian Province of New Brunswick. Before the start of every speech or event, the speakers had to acknowledge the owners of the land. In her opening greetings to the participants to the Conference, Andrealisa Belzer, the President of CES had this to say:
“The Canadian Evaluation Society is grateful to Sakom (Chief) Polchies of Sitansik (St. Mary’s First Nation) for welcoming us to convene in Eqpahak (Fredericton) on the beautiful and bountiful Wolastoq (St. John`s) river on the traditional lands of the Maliseet-Passamaquoddy speaking peoples of the Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) and Wabanaki (Dawnland Confederacy) Communities. We acknowledge that this territory, and all of New Brunswick, are covered by Peace and Friendship Treaties which recognized Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet), Mi’kmaq and Passamaquoddy title and established the rules for what was to be an ongoing relationship between nations.”

Photo 2: The CES President Andrealisa Belzer (pink jacket) posing with a section of the EvalIndigenous Network participants to the Conference

​It was worth noting that the President of CES, Andrealisa Belzer, who incidentally works for Indigenous Services Canada, has been at the forefront in working for a close collaboration with indigenous Canadians and the global indigenous community, which has seen a working relationship between the CES and the EvalIndigenous Global Network. The first of such was seen in Halifax, Nova Scotia during a CES Conference in 2019 and this had gained momentum to the climax at the Fredericton event.

Photo 3: The Leadership of AfrEA, EvalIndigenous and IDEAS sharing a light moment at c2024

As a pre-conference event, EvalIndigenous and CES organised an Indigenous event that started with the indigenous healing experience of the ‘Sweat Lodge’ which was held at the St. Mary’s First Nation and conducted by Chris Brooks. This was a wonderful endurance and healing experience that made one literally connect with the Creator and the Earth. At one of the endurance sessions, I was overwhelmed and had to ask to be allowed out briefly. But this was certainly an experience never to be forgotten.

Photo 4: At the Conclusion of the healing experience of the Sweat Lodge

On Sunday, 5 May 2024, being the second day of the pre-Conference was a mix of activities, starting with an EvaIndigenous gathering to share some of the works done by the Network through the support of Ford Foundation among others. The next activity was a match of the global indigenous community in solidarity with the indigenous Canadians, to celebrate the Red Dress Day in commemoration of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) and to create space for their loved ones to heal, with a message of ‘Missing but never forgotten’ and with an overall call for the provincial and federal governments to provide more support for First Nations banishing individuals.

Photo 5: Awuor Ponge (right frontline) taking part in the Red Dress Day Procession

​I was privileged to be part of this historic event, with the match from the Legislature of Fredericton to the Hidden Burial Ground which marked the climax of the event. The Sakom (Chief) Allan Polchies Jr., Chief of St. Mary's First Nation and one of the six Wolastoqey chiefs had this to say: “We no longer need a Band-Aid. We need a solution, we need legislation, and we need a law. That's what we need as Indigenous people.” The Conference was officially opened on the evening of Sunday 5 May 2024, with an opening reception addressed by the leadership of CES as well as the Sakom (Chief) himself, Allan Polchies Jr.

Photo 6: With the Sakom (Chief) Allan Polchies Jr.

​On Monday, 6 May 2024, having been inspired by the Sweat Lodge experience, I made a presentation dubbed: “The Knots that Bind Us Together… The Confluencing Value in Evaluation Practice: Lessons Learned from the Wolastoqey Sweat Lodge Ceremony.” In my presentation, I highlighted the key similarities between the Canadian Sweat Lodge experience and the indigenous African similar healing experience. Of importance, the following stood out:

1. Attachment to the Land
2. The Place of Mother Earth
3. The Place of the Sun
4. The Role of Fire and Sacrifice; and
5. The Role of Water

 The key messages that I learned from this experience included among others, the interconnectedness of traditional arts, culture, spirituality, and healing. The sweat lodge experience was deeply rooted in spirituality which was an integral part of the healing process. I also learned about the importance of community and shared experience in healing. The sweat lodge ceremony was conducted in an enclosed circle, emphasising the unity and support of the group. Each participant shared their experiences in turns amid chants from the religious leader and others who were certainly ‘possessed by the powers’. Another learning point was the significance of natural elements like fire, water, and herbs in indigenous healing practices. The sweat lodge process involved using heated rocks, water, and herbs like sage and sweetgrass to create steam and facilitate spiritual cleansing and purification. Overall, I derived a lot of similarity between this experience with the indigenous African healing ceremonies, specifically the central role of spirituality, community, and natural elements in the healing process. Both traditions view health holistically, encompassing physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. In both cases, the ceremonies are conducted by elders or healers, use of herbs and natural materials, and their emphasis on group support.

Photo 7: Awuor Ponge sharing a light moment with Mark Parman and Tammy Mudge

On Tuesday, 7 May 2024, I made a presentation on: “Global Perspective of Indigenous EvaluationPractice: Lessons Learned from the Kenyan Experience”, in which I shared some of the work that I have done as part of EvalIndigenous funded activities. These were:

1. The development of the Indigenous African Ethical Protocol for Evaluations
2. Implementation of the Indigenous African Voices from Kenya: The Mijikenda of Kwale County in Kenya 
3. Researching Indigeneity and Decolonising Evaluation: Activities to Enhance the Cultural Responsiveness of Evaluation, touching on the indigenous Ogiek community of Mariashoni in Molo, Kenya and the Mijikenda of Kilifi County. 

My concluding remarks and the way forward were a call to action for the global indigenous evaluation community to appreciate what has been done but again try to see how indigenous evaluation practices can be mainstreamed with a view to ‘leaving no one behind’.

• Incorporating Indigenous knowledge, values, and practices is essential for meaningful and culturally-relevant evaluation in African contexts – How do we incorporate this?
• The need to decolonise evaluation by centering African voices, literature, and experiences, rather than relying solely on Western evaluation frameworks and methodologies – What African Methodologies are available?
• Indigenous African evaluators and communities should be actively involved as partners and decision-makers – How do we bring them to the table?
• Indigenous evaluation should reflect the priorities, needs, and worldviews of African communities –Whose REALITY Counts?

The Made in Africa Evaluation (MAE) approach promotes the use of African indigenous knowledge systems, local languages, and community data ownership and sovereignty – How do we harmonise Indigenous African Protocols and lobby for buy-in?

Photo 8: Breakfast session during the Pre-Conference EvalIndigenous Gathering

​On Wednesday, 8 May 2024, I made a presentation on: “Navigating Choppy Waters in Indigenous Evaluation in Kenya: Case of the Indigenous Ogiek and the Mijikenda of Kenya – Promoting a Culture of Respect, Collaboration and Learning Together.” This was to be a joint presentation with my Mentee, Grace Wanjiru Murigo, who unfortunately was unable to get a VISA to travel to Canada, in what is emerging as a systemic racist attitude of the Canadian Government to deny VISAs to Africans, Asians and Latin Americans. Our presentation was drawn from two studies we conducted among the indigenous communities in Kenya namely the Ogiek and the Mijikenda. The studies were funded by the Ford Foundation under the auspices of the EvalIndigenous Global Network. The presentation discussed the complexities and challenges involved in conducting evaluations or assessments within indigenous communities in Kenya, using the Ogiek and Mijikenda groups as case studies. The concluding message of navigating the choppy waters was that the Indigenous communities have distinct cultural beliefs, practices, and worldviews that differ significantly from mainstream society or Western evaluation frameworks. Evaluators need to be sensitive to these cultural contexts and adapt their approaches accordingly.

Photo 9: Awuor Ponge making his presentation on Navigating Choppy Waters

​At the conclusion of the 5-day packed event, on Wednesday 8 May 2024, there was a concluding Indigenous Evaluation gathering called by the leadership of the EvalIndigenous Global Network, Dr. Fiona Cram and Serge Eric Yakeu-Djiam and the CES President, Andrealisa Belzer, with a view to come up with the ‘Wolastoq Declaration’. The participants gathered in the afternoon after the closure of the CES Conference in Fredericton to share their learnings and take-aways and to lay the foundation for a declaration in honour of the Wolastoq river, which was our host for this gathering.

Photo 10: The Final Farewell Photo of the whole EvalIndigenous Team that attended c2024 in Fredericton, New Brunswick

Awuor PONGE, PhD

Sasakawa Fellowship Scholar, The Practice of International Development; Vice-President, African Evaluation Association (AfrEA); Africa Representative, EvalIndigenous Evaluators Network - EvalPartners; Associate Fellow i/c Research, Policy & Evaluation, African Policy Centre (APC); Adjunct Faculty, Gender & Development Studies, Kenyatta University
P.O Box 6314 – 00100, Nairobi, Kenya
E-Mail: [email protected] | [email protected] | [email protected]
Mobile: +254 721 962 660 | Home: +254 735 962 660
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6656-1818