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Traditional Medicine, Biomedicine and Christianity in Modern Zambia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 May 2011

Kaori Sugishita
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Abstract

The World Health Organization has recognized ‘traditional medicine’ as a de facto and economical substitute for biomedicine in the developing world. Accordingly, the Zambian government aims to integrate ‘traditional healers’, locally known as ng'anga, with their biomedical counterparts in a national health care system. Hence, on the one hand, ng'anga elaborate their practice into ‘herbalism’, which could meet scientific standards and fit into the scope of biomedicine. On the other hand, they continue to deal with affliction by positing the existence of occult agents, such as witchcraft and spirits, at the risk of being criticized for exploiting indigenous beliefs. As a result, many ng'anga associate themselves with Christianity, the national religion of Zambia, which serves as an official domain of the occult where they take refuge from biomedical rationalization. However, conventional churches, the government and health authorities do not approve of the link between Christianity and traditional medicine; hence ng'anga as traditional healers are marginalized in modern, Christian Zambia. Being thus dissociated from the national religion, ng'anga are officially confined to the periphery of national health care, where they submit to the primacy of biomedicine and the workings of state power.

L'Organisation mondiale de la Santé reconnaît désormais la « médecine traditionnelle » comme un substitut de facto et économique à la biomédecine dans les pays en développement. Dans cet esprit, le gouvernement zambien vise à intégrer les « guérisseurs traditionnels », connus localement sous le nom de ng'anga, dans un système de santé national aux côtés de leurs homologues biomédicaux. En conséquence, les ng'anga travaillent d'une part à l’élaboration de leur pratique d’ « herboristerie », qui pourrait répondre aux normes scientifiques et entrer dans le champ d'application de la biomédecine. D'autre part, ils continuent de traiter des afflictions en posant en principe l'existence d'agents occultes tels que sorcellerie et esprits, au risque d’être critiqués pour leur exploitation de croyances indigènes. C'est pourquoi de nombreux ng'anga s'associent au christianisme, religion nationale de la Zambie, qui sert de domaine officiel de l'occulte dans lequel ils prennent refuge de la rationalisation biomédicale. Néanmoins, les églises conventionnelles, le gouvernement et les autorités sanitaires désapprouvent le lien entre christianisme et médecine traditionnelle; c'est pourquoi les ng'anga, en tant que guérisseurs traditionnels, sont marginalisés dans la Zambie chrétienne contemporaine. Ainsi dissociés de la religion nationale, les ng'anga sont officiellement confinés à la périphérie du système de santé national, d'où ils se soumettent à la suprématie de la biomédecine et aux mécanismes du pouvoir étatique.

Type
Research Articles
Information
Africa , Volume 79 , Issue 3 , August 2009 , pp. 435 - 454
Copyright
Copyright © International African Institute 2009

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