Indigenous knowledge codification of African traditional medicine: Inhibited by status quo based on secrecy? (original) (raw)
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International Conference on ICT for Africa 2013, February 20-23, Harare, Zimbabwe
This paper is located within global debates about indigenous knowledge (IK) and Africa’s complementary and alternative medicine (e-ACAM). The paper explores whether it is possible to document all types of indigenous knowledge about Africa’s complementary and alternative medicine (e-ACAM) following that this medicine encompass common and uncommon knowledge of which the latter is practised secretly as it is a source of livelihoods to traditional medicine practices. The framework presented in this paper stem from the notion that the ethnophamacological information of medicinal plants is fast disappearing and in view of the rapid loss of such knowledge, its documentation as well as a better understanding of its botanico-historical roots has become an essential task. With further research we realized that there is a major challenge and constraint that may inhibit the documentation of all types of indigenous knowledge about Africa’s complementary and alternative medicine. We therefore propose measures within intellectual property rights (IPR) in the form of patents that could be implemented in order to document those types of knowledge about Africa’s complementary and alternative medicine that are secret and are a source of livelihoods to traditional medicine practices. Key words: Indigenous knowledge, Complementary and alternative medicine, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) - patents.
Social Science & Medicine, 1987
Many years of ethno-medical research in Africa have increased our knowledge of different aspects of indigenous medical systems. Like any other cultural system, indigenous medical systems have been undergoing changes over the years as African countries continue to experience tremendous alterations in their ecological systems, socio-economic activities, political and cultural life. These changes have had some impact on the practice of indigenous medicine in many parts of Africa. Compared with bio-medical services, ethno-medicine is usually characterized as more available, accessible, acceptable, and adaptable. This paper seeks to draw attention to the need to re-examine these attributes as applied to ethno-medical practices in contemporary Africa in view of the present rate of social change in most African countries.
Background: African Traditional Medicine continues to strive and contribute to health care for many indigenous people in Africa. Within this system, Traditional Health Practitioners are the custodians of traditional health, knowledge and practices and play various roles such as counselling and teaching. There are unique ways to name, diagnose, treat, and manage ill-health in African Traditional Medicine, which makes this system unique. However, most concepts are loosely used or translated literally by researchers and scholar without their proper application and contextualization. This study was undertaken to explore and describe how Traditional Health Practitioners define African Traditional Medicine, in their own accord and understanding.Methods: Qualitative, explorative and descriptive design was adopted. Data was collected from eighteen (18) Traditional Health Practitioners who were sampled using snowball technique. Individual semi-structured interviews were done and audio record...
African Traditional Medicine and the Problem of Documentation
2015
The African Traditional Medicine (ATM) has come a long way coming as early as man found the need to maintain life and preserve life. The survival of African Traditional Medicine after many millennia, amid a more sophisticated and scientific orthodox medicine is a sign that it has something to offer world health. The writer x-rays the methodology, diagnoses, treatments and successes of African Traditional Medicine and discovers the weaknesses of ATM mainly in the area of documentation and scientific evidence. It is the writer's opinion that if all hands are on deck in solving the above problems of African Traditional Medicine, there will be definite improvement in world medicine and world health.
Indigenous Medicine and Traditional Healing in Africa: a Systematic Synthesis of the Literature
Philosophy, Social and Human Disciplines, 2019
Literature on traditional medicine in Africa is diverse and broad but most are country based, regional based or time based. There is the need for a systematic review that focuses on the nature of traditional medicine and its healers, the impact of the changing society on traditional medicine, and an analysis of same based on scholarly literature. African Traditional medicine, a mixture of herbal (physical), mystical (spiritual) and social elements of society, is quite varied but share similarity in its dependence on the socio-cultural and religious indigenous knowledge systems of the people. Indigenous traditional healing in Africa has always been a highly contentious subject matter due to its nature and a source of disagreement between the different colonists and Africans. What has enabled this practice to survive is the secrecy technique employed by the healers as well as the inability or unwillingness of colonial and post-colonial governments to provide a better or sometimes a more advanced alternative. In order to do this synthesis of literature and analyses of same, diverse books and scholarly articles were consulted. Using a purely qualitative method of research, this study does a retrospect cross examination and an analytical review of pertinent literature on traditional medicine and healing in Africa.
In examining the production of knowledge in the health systems in Western and non-Western societies, this paper argues that scientific knowledge in Western medicine serves to foster and sustain the marginalization of 'African indigenous' health knowledges. Using conceptualisations of illness, symptom presentation and help-seeking among African peoples of the diaspora, the paper argues that the epistemological terrain upon which both indigenous and Western health professionals traverse is not level, resulting in a hierarchy of knowledge, as well as superficial dichotomies between the indigenous and Western health approaches that obscure opportunities for alliances at the epistemological crossroads. The paper concludes with a discussion on opportunities for forging alliances between both health systems.
The Place of Traditional Medicine in the African Society: The Science, Acceptance and Support
American Journal of Health Research, 2014
Traditional medicine (TM) has been described by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as one of the surest alternative means to achieve total health care coverage of the world's population. In most African societies, traditional medicine plays an important role in the lives of millions who cannot access western medicine. In some areas, TM is part of the first set of response mechanisms for medical emergencies whilst in others the whole health system of the community is hinged on medicines rooted in local practice and belief. Although the relevance and values of TM is begining to gain recognition, African traditional medicine (ATM) still faces some challenges which underscore its scrutiny. This paper thus analyses the issue of science, acceptance and support for successful implementation of ATM and present the contemporary measures that are being taken to raise its standard to the level of western medicine.
UPINE PUBLISHERS Traditional Medicine in Contextual African Society: On-Going Challenges
The role of traditional medicine in contextual African society cannot be overemphasized. Due to the less financial implication on the part of patients(s) patronizing the medicine to treat a particular ailment. In recent time, attention by government and relevant stakeholders in the health sectors in African tend to shift their compendium effort to improve modern health medicine, this has yielded little effort. In light of this a greater percentage of African population still resorts to traditional medicine due to the less financial implication and accessibility. Over the years, traditional African medicine seems to face some ongoing challenges. It is due to these recurring mitigating challenges that this paper intend to explore and map-out modalities to surmount the challenges. The challenges farfetched by the researcher were lack of usage of information communication technology (ICT), lack of adequate funding, lack of sufficient awareness, religion/cultural interference, unethical practices, deforestation of plant medicine. Similarly, way forwards out the challenges were map-out. It was concluded that, the possible solutions as pointed-out by the researcher if given prior attention will help to remedy the bedeviling challenges facing traditional medicine.
Traditional Medicine in Contextual African Society: On-Going Challenges
Open Access Journal of Oncology and Medicine
The role of traditional medicine in contextual African society cannot be overemphasized. Due to the less financial implication on the part of patients(s) patronizing the medicine to treat a particular ailment. In recent time, attention by government and relevant stakeholders in the health sectors in African tend to shift their compendium effort to improve modern health medicine, this has yielded little effort. In light of this a greater percentage of African population still resorts to traditional medicine due to the less financial implication and accessibility. Over the years, traditional African medicine seems to face some ongoing challenges. It is due to these recurring mitigating challenges that this paper intend to explore and map-out modalities to surmount the challenges. The challenges farfetched by the researcher were lack of usage of information communication technology (ICT), lack of adequate funding, lack of sufficient awareness, religion/cultural interference, unethical practices, deforestation of plant medicine. Similarly, way forwards out the challenges were map-out. It was concluded that, the possible solutions as pointed-out by the researcher if given prior attention will help to remedy the bedeviling challenges facing traditional medicine.
Acta Tropica, 2009
The disease burden in Africa, which is relatively very large compared with developed countries, has been attributed to various factors that include poverty, food shortages, inadequate access to health care and unaffordability of Western medicines to the majority of African populations. Although for ‘old diseases’ knowledge about the right African traditional medicines to treat or cure the diseases has been passed from generation to generation, knowledge about traditional medicines to treat newly emerging diseases has to be generated in one way or another. In addition, the existing traditional medicines have to be continuously improved, which is also the case with Western scientific medicines. Whereas one school of thought supports the idea of improving medicines, be they traditional or Western, through scientific research, an opposing school of thought argues that subjecting African traditional medicines to scientific research would be tantamount to some form of colonization and imperialism. This paper argues that continuing to use African traditional medicines for old and new diseases without making concerted efforts to improve their efficacy and safety is unethical since the disease burden affecting Africa may continue to rise in spite of the availability and accessibility of the traditional medicines. Most importantly, the paper commends efforts being made in some African countries to improve African traditional medicine through a combination of different mechanisms that include the controversial approach of scientific research on traditional medicines.