The Concept of Diseases and Health Care in African Traditional Religion By Peter White

Discover African traditional health beliefs, causes of illness, and healing practices.

The Concept of Diseases and Health Care in African Traditional ReligionBy Peter White1. ‘As there is an African way of understanding God … in the same way, there is an African way of understanding the world, the visible world around us – the cattle, trees, people and cities as well as the unseen world, the supernatural world of spirits, powers, and diseases’ (Oduro et al. 2008:9). The World Health Organization (WHO) defines traditional medicine care as the total combination of knowledge and practice, whether explicable or not, used in diagnosing, preventing or eliminating physical, mental and social diseases. This practice exclusively relies on past experience and observation handed down from generation to generation verbally or in written form. In spite of the introduction of Western medicine and health care systems in Africa, many African communities still rely on traditional health care. As the table shows, healers prove to be a large and influential group in primary health care and an integral part of the African culture and are required for the health of its people. Without them, many people would go untreated.CountryDoctor:PatientTMP:PatientReferencesKenya1:7,152 (overall)1:987 (Urban-Mathare)World Bank, 1993LesothoLicensed TMPs estimated at 8,579 in1991Scott et al. 1996South Africa1:1,639 (overall)1:17,400 (Homeland areas)1:700-1,200(Venda)World Bank, 1993 (Venda and Overall), Savage, 1985, Arnold andGulumian, 1987(Homeland areas)Uganda1:25,0001:708World Bank, 1993;Amai, 1997Zimbabwe1:6,2501:234World Bank, 1993;Gelfand et al. 1985*TMP refers to Traditional Medical PractitionerDiseases in the African traditional view2. For the traditional African, health is not just about the proper functioning of bodily organs. Good health for the African consists of mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional stability of oneself, family members, and community; this integrated view of health is based on the African unitary view of reality. Good health for the African is not a subjective affair.3. Good health is usually understood in terms of the relationship with one's ancestors. In fact, health amongst Africans is not based merely on how it affects the living, because it is of paramount importance that the ancestors stay healthy so that they can protect the living. In their understanding, good health is also believed to be the result of appropriate behavior; that is, living in accordance with the values and norms of the traditions of society. In view of the above, traditional medicine has at its base a deep belief in the interaction between the spiritual and physical well-being of people. It is also imperative to emphasize that good health also includes the viewing of an individual as a collective member of the community; as such, good health would also include good relations with ancestors and the community.Causes of diseases in the African traditional religion4. There are several ways traditional Africans explain or understand the causes of disease. The first point of contact is the view that disease is often caused by attacks from evil or bad spirits. Some also believe that when the ancestors are not treated well, they could punish people with disease. When ancestors are neglected or forgotten by their relatives, they are said to be angry with them and to send them misfortunes as punishment. Their anger is usually appeased through prayers and ritual in the form of food and drinks. Life in African traditional religion is based on maintaining the balance between the visible and invisible world. The maintenance of this balance and harmony is humanity's greatest ethical obligation and determines the quality of life.5. Spell-casting and witchcraft are also other ways one could become sick. There is the view that people with evil powers could cause other people they see as their enemies or are disrespectful to them to become sick as a way of punishment. Furthermore, many traditional African communities are of the view that certain illnesses which defy scientific treatment can be transmitted through witchcraft and unforeseen forces; these include barrenness, infertility, attacks by dangerous animals, snake bites by dangerous snakes, persistent headaches and repeated miscarriages. In some Ghanaian communities, especially in the Akan communities, one could become sick through invocation curses in the name of the river deity, Antoa, upon an unknown offender. Above all, in their understanding, it is a means of seeking divine justice from the river deity.6. Many traditional healers and practitioners are of the opinion that disobeying taboos is one of the ways people could become sick. Taboos form an important part of African traditional religion. They are things, or a way of life, that are forbidden by a community or a group of people. Taboos are also a social or religious custom prohibiting or restricting a particular practice or forbidding association with a particular person, place or thing. Taboos exist to make sure that the moral structures of the universe remain undisturbed for the good of humanity. There are food- and meat-related taboos in various Ghanaian communities. Disobeying these taboos could lead to severe illness to the person(s) or community involved. Although all these are termed as taboos, they have some moral and ethical connotations. The amazing part of many of these taboos is that, when one violates any of them secretly, the person does not go scot-free. The consequences always manifest either on the person(s) concerned or the entire community in the form of diseases, and possibly death.Healing process in the African traditional religion7. In the traditional African healers’ understanding, their healing process is holistic. This implies that the healer deals with the complete person and provides treatment for physical, psychological, spiritual and social symptoms. Traditional healers do not separate the natural from the spiritual, or the physical from the supernatural. This will cause them to address health issues from two major perspectives – spiritual and physical.Spiritual issues8. If the diviner or the traditional healer perceives the cause of the disease to be an attack from evil spirits, the person would be protected by the use of a talisman, charm, moto (spiritually prepared black powder) for body marks, amulets, and a spiritual bath to drive the evil spirits away. These spiritual protection rites are aimed at driving off evil and dangerous powers, spirits or elements. Their function is to eliminate the evils or dangers that may have already taken root in a family or community.9. Then sacrifices are sometimes offered at the request of the spirits, gods, and ancestors. Sometimes animals are slaughtered or buried alive; dogs or cats are sometimes buried alive at midnight to save the soul of the one at the point of death. Dogs and cats are used to replace the life of people, because they believe that the spirit of such animals is strong for that purpose. There is also the view that, because they are domestic animals and are very close to people, sometimes when they see that someone very close to them is about to die, they offer their lives for that person to live. This is therefore interpreted as it could be that someone was about to die and the animal took his or her place.10. In some cases, herbs are prepared for the person to bathe with at specific times for a number of days, which is called spiritual cleansing. Sometimes an animal can be slaughtered and the blood would be poured on the head and foot of the sick person; the blood poured on the sick person serves as a way of cleansing. This practice is common among the Ewes communities in Ghana.11. Another part of the process is appeasing the gods. Interviews with some traditional priests (diviners) in Kumasi show that, in the case of diseases that are caused by an invocation of a curse or violation of taboos, the diviner appeases the ancestors, spirits or the gods. This is done according to the severity of the case, by either sacrificing an animal or by pouring of libation. First, the person would be told to buy the ritual articles for the process as mentioned by the gods or the spirits. Some of the ritual articles usually used for this purpose are spotless animals (dove, cat, dog, goat, and fowl), schnapps, akpeteshie (traditional liquor), calico (red, white or black) and sometimes eggs and cola nuts. Then, the diviner sacrifices the animal. After, all these articles are sometimes left at the required place to rot, or they are sometimes thrown into a river as required by the god or spirits. They are at times placed on a four-way junction or the outskirts of the community, depending on the purpose of the ritual.Physical issues12. Some of the healing processes are deemed to have physical causes. Firstly, depending on the kind of disease the person has brought to the diviner or the traditional healer, he would prescribe herbs to the sick person. These prescriptions come with some specific instructions on how to prepare the herb, the dose and timeframe. Additionally, in some of the healing processes, the traditional healer would prepare white clay with some herbs for the sick person to apply on his or her body for a number of days. This is mostly what is done for those with skin diseases. The theory behind this concept is taken from Genesis 2:7. Their view is that the human body is made out of the dust or ground, therefore, if the body has any problem, you would have to go to where it came from to fix it. This could also be traced to John 9:6–7, and Mark 8:22–23, when Jesus Christ mixed his spit and clay for healing. The use of clay and herbs is also sometimes used for preventive rituals. There are special herbs for preventive rituals. When the sick person applies the herb and the clay on his or her body, it prevents the spirits behind the illness from attacking the patient. Finally, counseling is necessary for the sick person. The person is advised on how to live his or her life, especially the kind of food the person should or should not eat. This is mostly done when it is an issue of a violation of a taboo.13. Long before the advent of Western medicine, Africans had their own way of dealing with diseases and it worked for them. African traditional healers or diviners were intelligent enough to prescribe traditional solutions to diseases whether it had spiritual or physical causes with little or no side effect. In the light of this, African traditional healing is intertwined with cultural and religious beliefs, and is holistic in nature. It does not focus only on the physical condition, but also on the psychological, spiritual and social aspects of individuals, families and communities.Retrieved and adapted from WHITE, P. The concept of diseases and health care in African traditional religion in Ghana. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 71, jul. 2015. Available at:< Date accessed: 12 Jun. 2017. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.Table taken from on July 14, 2017. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA. Guessing Vocabulary from ContextRemember: Sometimes you do not need to look up the meanings of new words. You can guess them from context.Tips: Look for examples, synonyms, or antonyms of the new word in another sentence or sentence part. Sometimes you need to analyze the general text context to guess the unknown word.1. Read the following ideas from the text and try to guess the closest meaning of the underlined word.Choose the best option.a. In view of the above, traditional medicine has at its base a deep belief in the interaction between the spiritual and physicalwell-beingof people. (P.3) health benefit advantage b. Their anger is usually appeasedthrough prayers and ritual in the form of food and drinks. (P.4) conciliated mitigated undestood c. Furthermore, many traditional African communities are of the view that certain illnesses which defyscientific treatment can be transmitted through witchcraft and unforeseen forces; these include barrenness, infertility, attacks by dangerous animals, snake bites by dangerous snakes, persistent headaches and repeated miscarriages. (P.5) defeat resist help d. Some of the ritual articles usually used for this purpose are spotlessanimals (dove, cat, dog, goat, and fowl). (P.11) clean modest pure Understanding key points in a chartWrite T (true), F (false), or NG (not given) according to the information in the table on the reading. 1. The table shows the conditions of Western doctors compared to those of traditional healers in some countries in Africa. F 2. The table shows the traditional medical practitioner to patient ratio and the Western practitioner to patient ratio in some African countries. T 3. In Kenya, the doctor-patient ratio is higher than the traditional medical practitioner ratio. F 4. According to the World Bank, in 1993, there were 8,579 licensed traditional medical practitioners in Lesotho. F5. In South Africa, traditional medical practitioners are considered really influential in urban areas. NG Understanding text cohesion There are words or phrases that replace or substitute other words to avoid repetition in the text. Write the word(s) that the following expressions refer to. In some cases, pay attention only to the underlined words. (Use lower case in all answers)1. This practice (P.1) Traditional medicine 2. In their understanding (P.3) africans3. Their anger (P.4) ancestors 4. this balance (P.4) the visibleand invisibleworld 5. these include (P.5) illnesses 6. These spiritual protection rites (P.8) talisman, charm, amulets, and a spiritual bath Following a chronological sequence KEEP IN MIND: Various paragraphs in most readings provide different kinds of supporting details. These might include steps in a process as in a sequence and reasons as in cause-effect relationships.Complete the following paragraph structure of the reading by adding the details of the sequence. Write complete sentences, after the linking word given in each step. First, the person would be told to buy the ritual articles for the process as mentioned by the gods or the spirits Then, the diviner sacrifices the animal. After, all these articles are sometimes left at the required place to rot, or they are sometimes thrown into a river as required by the god or spirits. Distinguishing between main ideas and supporting ideas Learn: Distinguishing between main ideas and supporting ideas is very important to understand a text well. Main ideas are the most important points in the text, while supporting ideas develop the central points.The following points are details of the text. Write numbers 1-12 to show where they fit into the outline below.1.Disease can be produced by evil forces.2.A mixture of herbs and clay ismade for healing or preventing diseases.3.Cleansing is done through a special bathing.4.Protection by the use of certain elements can help eliminate danger of sickness.5.Not following the rules can cause sickness in a person.6.Prescription depends on the person’s type of disease.7.Animals are sacrificed in order to help the sick person cure.8.Good health is linked to important members of a community.9.Through a ritual, healers can calm angry spirits.10.People get sick because they are cursed by their enemies.11.For the African, the concept of good health does not only includethe physical aspect.12.Counseling is based on the way sick people live in terms of food and behavior. 11 8 1 10 5 4 7 3 9 2 6 12