Traditional Healers in South Africa
As part of our mutual concern, health worker Kay took me to visit township
families with a member who has AIDS. On the way we talked about how to be
effective in communities bereaved and confused by the frequent visits of the
AIDS Reaper. She told me some ways that Traditional healers or witch-doctors
are being trained to work.
Traditional Healers
My Tswana friend told me that traditional healers play a very important part in
HIV/AIDS education, prevention and treatment in South Africa. The essential
point is that they have the peoples trust, which many doctors of western
medicine dont. When they speak, the people believe them.
When Tswana people get HIV, they think theyve been bewitched, that an outside
force has entered their bodies. But weve trained some traditional healers in
the realities of HIV/AIDS. So when they work with people now, they throw the
bones, do their rituals, then tell the people Youre not bewitched. Youre
sick because something has happened to you connected with your life.
Then they tell them, in their own language, in ways they can understand, how
they became sick and what they need. They tell them they need two things, good
food and clinic medicine (anti-retroviral therapy). Also they tell them not to
be ashamed of the infected family member, not to shun her or him, but to love,
touch, and support him or her in what will be a difficult life. And they show
them how to avoid it happening to them, or to other family members.
This is very important. The people start to see things differently. Their
cultural understanding can incorporate this new way of seeing things if its
put to them in the right way.
But there simply arent enough healers. We need thousands.
When I build my holistic health team for my HIV/AIDS clinic, Ill have
traditional healers on the staff.
How much more could these healers accomplish if they were also fluent in the
concepts, methods and practice of family, community and tribal constellations?
Denis Ladbrook
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