Appropriating spiritual help for traditional healing: why ancestors are needed

This study investigates the use of traditional medicine by traditional healers in a South African context in the fight against Covid-19. Appropriating spiritual help in fighting the symptoms of the virus would be part of the treatment prescribed by traditional healers. This is not an evaluative study to judge whether traditional healing methods are valid or not. This is a descriptive exercise to show how traditional healers appropriate the help of the spiritual realm in the process of healing. Two different worldviews are discussed to indicate under which conditions the help of the spiritual realm is required in the healing process. The discussion of the porous and buffered worldviews provides insight into how people perceive their reality, and the influence of the spiritual realm in it. By describing how healing functions in an African (porous) worldview by adopting help from the spiritual realm, the importance of rituals as mediating actions, are emphasised. A porous worldview is not only found among African communities;several examples illustrate this. The conclusion drawn is that all illnesses and healing systems are culturally influenced, and one cannot be judged as being better or more efficacious than the other. © 2021, Pharos Journal of Theology. All rights reserved.

Who may heal? A plea from traditional healers to participate in treating covid-19

During 2020, communities all over the world suffered from infections and disruptions because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Health assistance in different forms was provided to assist patients. In addition, the South African Department of Health employed several measures to curb the spread of the virus. The traditional healers acting as basic health providers objected to not being asked to participate in government activities dealing with the virus. Data acquired through a qualitative approach provided insight into the pleas of traditional healers to support in the fight against Covid-19. Traditional healers were not consulted by the Department of Health, although the traditional healers are officially considered as part of the government system to provide healthcare. The Traditional Health Practitioners Act, no. 22 of 2007, provided legal recognition to traditional healers. There has been extensive written work dealing with the role of Traditional Healers in the South African healthcare system. This article investigated, through a consideration of the available literature, the differences between the Healing and Biomedical paradigms as two separate ways of presenting healthcare during the Covid-19 pandemic. Through a comparative study of the two approaches as represented by the paradigms, the reasons for not consulting and allowing traditional healers to participate in the fight against Covid-19 were investigated. Some of the reasons include the bias of science versus indigenous knowledge, as a basis for knowledge on health matters. The study recommended that traditional healers have a role to play and a contribution to make to the South African healthcare system and should be allowed to perform their activities. Contributions: The article contributes to the understanding of how different worldviews influence the application of medical services with a particular focus on treatment provided during the Covid-19 pandemic. The contribution to treatment by traditional healers is investigated. The relation between biomedical and traditional healing is highlighted with suggestions as to future collaboration. © 2020. The Authors. Licensee: AOSIS.