Abstract

This paper examines the enactment of cultural medical practices in the narratives of African writers. It aims at promoting the application of folk medicines in addressing the health problems of patients as enacted in artistic productions of fiction writers. It will celebrate, propagate and preserve these approaches to preventive and curative medical practices, which are indigenous to the African people. The study will be beneficial to health caregivers, researchers, health educators, health agencies and policy formulators, who are determined to promote the cultural healthcare system in society. It will reawaken and strengthen medical practitioners, patients and researchers, who may which to apply folk medical practices as an alternative treatment for health problems in socio-cultural settings. This research is field survey and library-based, with the literary texts carefully and purposively selected according to their thematic thrust and qualitatively analysed. Oral interviews were conducted to gather first-hand information and data on traditional medical practices from respondents, who have profound knowledge of the topic. The respondents were elderly men and women with profound knowledge of traditional medical practices, and they were drawn from various Urhobo communities, such as Ughelli, Akperhe-Olomu, Orogun, Okparabe, Edjekota-Ogor, and Agbarha-Otor. Among those interviewed were traditional medical practitioners, diviners, and patients, who often apply trado-medicines as alternative and supplementary treatments. Apart from the primary materials, scholarly works that are relevant to the current study were also consulted by the researchers. Findings showed that African societies are endowed with diverse forms of folk medicine, including the use of herbs, hydrotherapy, heat therapy, use of ointments, hot food as an intervention, talk therapy, etc. The study concluded that African writers are conscious of the utilitarian functions of their indigenous healthcare interventions, and so they integrate some of the practices into their artistic works, not only for the documentation but also to activate the awareness of readers on the efficacy of the traditional medicines. The various folk medical practices can serve as alternative and complementary treatments for people who cannot afford western healthcare interventions in contemporary societies.

Keywords: alternative, folk medicine, literature, sickness, wellbeing, patients.

JEL Classification: Е60, I18, O57.

Cite as: Akporherhe, F., Udi, P. O., & Esemedafe, E. (2022). Folk Medical Practices and Treatments in African Fiction. Health Economics and Management Review, 3(4), 92-104. https://doi.org/10.21272/hem.2022.4-10

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

References

1. Abdullahi, A. A. (2011). Trends and challenges of traditional medicine in Africa. African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines, 8(S),115-123. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
2. Achebe, C. (1967). Arrow of God. London: Heinemann. Google Scholar [Google Scholar]
3. Achebe, C. (1984). Things Fall Apart. London: Heinemann. [Google Scholar]
4. Adichie, N. A. (2006). Purple Hibiscus. Kachifo. Lagos. [Google Scholar]
5. Ba, M. (2008). So Long a Letter. Edinburgh: Pearson Education Limited. [Google Scholar]
6. Cook, C. T. (2009). Sangomas: problem or solution for South Africa’s health care system. Journal of the National Medical Association, 101(3), 261-265. [Google Scholar]
7. Dashtdar, M., Dashtdar, M. R., Dashtdar, F., Dashtdar, B., & Mojab, E. (2022). The perspectives of traditional and modern medicine on the nature of hot and cold foods. Medical Research Journal, 7(1), 82-93. [Google Scholar]
8. Farnsworth, N. R., Akerele, O., Bingel, A. S., Soejarto, D. D. and Guo, Z. (1985). Medicinal plants in therapy, Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 63(6), p 965–981. [Google Scholar]
9. Gurib-Fakim, A. (2006). Medicinal plants: traditions of yesterday and drugs of tomorrow. Molecular aspects of Medicine, 27(1), 1-93. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
10. Gurib-Fakim, A., & Mahomoodally, M. F. (2013). African flora as potential sources of medicinal plants: towards the chemotherapy of major parasitic and other infectious diseases: a review. Jordan Journal of Biological Sciences, 147(624), 1-8. [Google Scholar]
11. Heinrich, M., Bames, J., Gibbons, S., & Williamson, E. M. (2004). Phytotherapy and pharmacognosy. Fundamentals of pharmacognosy and phytotherapy. Edinburgh, GB, Churchill Livingstone, 4, 21. [Google Scholar]
12. Konkon, N. G., Ouattara, D., Adjoungoua, A. L., Simaga, D., Kone, B., N’guessan, K. E. and Kouakou, T. H. (2011). Anti-inflammatory and cicatrizing activity of Baphia nitida Lodd. exudates. International Journal of Biosciences, 1(5), 45-50. [Google Scholar]
13. Kusinitz, M. (1992). The Encyclopedia of Health: Folk Medicine. New York: Chelsea House Publishers. [Link]
14. Mahomoodally, M. F. (2013). Traditional medicines in Africa: an appraisal of ten potent African medicinal plants. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2013. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
15. Ngugi, W. (1965). The River Between. Heinemann Educational Publishers. Oxford: England.
16. Omowumi, B. J., Benard, S. A., Afolabi, O. O., Fowotade, A. A., & Olutunde, O. A. (2018). Camwood (Baphia nitida) alcoholic extract: A suitable counter stain for haematoxylin in the demonstration of liver and kidney histomorphology. African Journal of Biotechnology, 17(34), 1062-1066. [Google Scholar]
17. Romero-Daza, N. (2002). Traditional medicine in Africa. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 583(1), 173-176. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
18. Thiong’O, N. (1965). The River Between. Heinemann Educational Publishers. Oxford: England. [Google Scholar]
19. White, O. (2015). The concept of diseases and health care in African traditional religion in Ghana. HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies, 71(3), 1-7. [Google Scholar]