First Page
142
Abstract
So often, African traditional approaches to health and wholeness are misconstrued, scorned, dismissed, if not treated as passé. There are two important entities—for the purposes of this article— which are diametrically at odds to African traditional approaches to medicine. The first is Western Medicine (WM), which because of its advances in medical, laboratory, and pharmaceutical technology, tend to ignore African Traditional Medicine (ATM) as archaic, superstitious, and non-scientific. The second is mainstream Christian religion which (largely in the past), tended to see everything demonic in the practice of African Traditional Medicine. But is it true that as far as ATM is concerned, “nothing good can come from Nazareth?” Considering the fact that Africans—including other indigenous communities the world over—from time immemorial have used traditional medicine, could the assertions that it has been of no medicinal and healing value be correct? How do we explain that the Africans have continued to use this alternative to medicine, even in the era of the most advanced medical technology? While these questions have been relegated to medical anthropologists and other interested parties, it might be a good idea to consider what their findings are. It may also be correct to say a closer look at ATM might prompt a paradigm shift in the minds of those who have diminished or completely dismissed ATM.
Recommended Citation
Gabasiane, Olaotse Obed
(2024)
"Missiological Challenges and Implications of African Traditional and Christian/Western Approaches to Health and Wholeness,"
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies:
Vol. 20:
No.
1, 142-.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.32597/1553-9881.1561
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/jams/vol20/iss1/13
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.32597/1553-9881.1561