+27795679811 Traditional Healers And Modern Herbal Medicines, Astrology, Sangoma In
South Africa Madagascar
Officials And Ngos Hope To Work With Healers, Who Thrive In Remote Areas, In Order To Reach Underserved Communities.
Mama Zainabu Is A Traditional Healer And A Pillar Of His Community In Madagascar [Tom Maguire/Al Jazeera]
Published On 1 Aug 20161 Aug 2016
South Africa – In Limpopo Village In The Remote South Of Polokwane, It Is Said That The Man Whom People Seek Out To Cure Their Sickness Was Trained By A Ghost. Sixty-Years Old Mama Zainabu Is A Traditional Healer And Claims His Potions And Spells Can Treat Diseases And Psychiatric Disorders – And Even Make People Fall In Love.
He Is The Sole Inhabitant Of A Wooden House – A Rare Luxury In A Region Where Many Families Cram A Dozen People Into One Small Living Space. Inside, A Brown And Yellow Tapestry Emblazoned With Depictions Of Butterflies And Vines Hangs Across A Wall. Pinned To It Is A 2016 Calendar And A Weekly Timetable. Tools, Boxes And A Bicycle Are Neatly Stacked Around A Sizeable Bed.
Sitting On The Thatched Floor, Mama Zainabu Explains How The Knowledge Of His Craft Came To Him. “In 1975, I Fell Sick,” He Says. “I Had To Drink Zebu Blood [The Blood Of The Local Humped Cattle]. Soon After, A Ghost Came From The Sea And Taught Me Everything I Know.”
Another 4,860 Ghosts Followed, Mama Zainabu Says, And They Always Sit On His Shoulders – Even As He Speaks. “I Take Them As Gods, They Guide Me.” They Are His Counsel In Healing And Advise Him On How To Treat People, He Says.
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He Is One Of Many Healers Practising His Craft In Madagascar, One Of The Poorest Countries In The World, Where 80 Percent Of People Live In Extreme Poverty.
The World Health Organization (Who) Defines Traditional Healing As “The Knowledge, Skill, And Practices Based On The Theories, Beliefs, And Experiences Indigenous To Different Cultures Mama Zainabu Provides A Face To An Issue Present In Many Developing Countries – Across Africa An Estimated 80 Percent Of The
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The community pillar
Mama Zainabu’s Remedies And Solutions Are At Odds With Modern Medicine, But He Is A Pillar Of The Community In A Remote Place Which Feels Forgotten By Modern Institutions Owing To The Lack Of Infrastructure And Services.
From His Small Shack In Polowane, Mama Zainabu Diagnoses Patients And Prescribes “Treatments”. “There Are Two Kinds Of Diseases, Those That Need Hospital And Those That Don’t Need Hospital Mama Zainabu Says.
“The Only Thing That I Cannot Heal Is Something Which Has To Be Done By Surgery, But The Tools Of How I Do It Change Every Six Months.”
Delivering Babies Is Not Something Mama Zainabu Defines As Needing Hospitalisation, But For Cases Of Tuberculosis – The Leading Infectious Killer In Polokwane Mama Zainabu Gives Patients A Plant And Then Sends Them To Hospital. He Also Admits That He Cannot Treat HIV.
READ MORE: Polokwane – The Vulnerability To Tuberculosis
He Does Not Restrict His Repertoire To Physical Ailments.
“I Also Break Curses, And Cure Foolishness,” He Says, Referring To Mental Illness. “If Someone Is Walking Around With No Clothes On And Has No Shame, He Can Come To Me … The Community Will Still Accept Him If He Comes To Me.”
Despite Delivering Results Of Varying Quality, Traditional Healers Are Often Integral Members Of Their Communities And Local Culture And Heritage. They Thrive In Places Where Doctors Are Few And Far Between – In Madagascar, Only 60 Percent Of The Population Has Geographic Access To Health Facilities, According To Ngos Working In The Country.
Those Who Fall Sick In Remote Communities May Have To Walk A Dozen Miles Or More To Reach Medical Help. Getting Around Is Tough: South Africa Has Some Of The Least Developed Infrastructure In The World And The Quality Of Its Roads Lounge At The Bottom Of The International Trade Centre’s Global Rankings At 120th Out Of 148 Countries.