Illnesses and Cures

Abstract

Long before the establishment of the first hospital on African soil, traditional healers have been meeting the needs of their clientele. Diagnostic and treatment methods have been transmitted from generation to generation orally and through apprenticeship. Methods of diagnosis often entail observation, inquiry, and, in some cases, consultation with divinities in order to discern the cause of the disease condition and the necessary treatment procedure. Illness in African traditional religion often has a spiritual etiology, explained as emanating from a cosmic imbalance or a fractured relationship that manifests as an illness in the physical realm. As a result, ritual specialists such as traditional healers or diviners are vital to determine the causes of disease conditions. Remedies are often herbal, while other curative forms entail external application or ingestion of prescribed substances under ritual experts’ guidance. Although modern medical science has produced new reliable methods for diagnosing illnesses and treating infirmities, reliance on traditional healers’ services is far from over. This chapter explores the beliefs underlying the origins and causes of illness in African traditional religion and the remedies for treating and curing these maladies. It also seeks to explain why traditional healing methods, although affected by the advent of modern medicine, still thrive and persist.