This paper draws on Okot p’Bitek’s Song of Lawino and other critical voices to argue that education in Africa is victim of a resilient colonial and colonizing epistemology, which takes the form of science as ideology and hegemony. Postcolonial African elite justify the resilience of this epistemology and the education it inspires with rhetoric on the need to be competitive internationally.
Having lived amongst several of the groups of indigenous peoples of Amazonia, I
have observed both the quantity of medicinal plants which they use and the efficacy
of many of their cures. I have been treated by these people for intestinal upsets,
parasites, cuts and bruises, headaches and other minor ailments and have personally
Like other so-called ‘parallel’ practices in medicine, traditional medicine
(TM) does not avoid criticism or even rejection. Nyika’s article
‘Ethical and Regulatory Issues Surrounding African Traditional Medicine
in the Context of HIV/AIDS’ looks at some of the issues from
a traditional Western ethical perspective and suggests that it should
The Department of Health estimates that 80 percent of South Africans consult traditional
healers before consulting modern medicine. The aim of this study is to investigate the
extent of the use of traditional medicine in local communities in the Limpopo Province, and
add value to a draft policy that was introduced by the Minister of Health. (South Africa,
An earlier paper in this journal reported on the perception and experience of 77 allopathic
health practitioners (AHPs) and health managers about working together with South African
traditional health practitioners (THPs). The paper stated that the abolishment of the Witchcraft
Indigenous food crops refer to food crops that have their origin in South Africa.
Added to these crops are those that were introduced into the country and are
now recognised as naturalised or traditional crops. They are divided into three main
categories; namely grains, vegetables and fruit.
Traditional healers are the first to be called for help when illness
strikes the majority of South Africans. Their communities have faith
in their ability to cure or alleviate conditions managed by doctors, and
much more. A visit to such practitioners’ websites (they are up with
the latest advertising technology!) shows that they promise help with
Based on mixed perceptions which were both negative and positive the policy makers
have not been vocal about the process to incorporate traditional healers into the
National Health Care Delivery System of South Africa. Negative views were related
to the denial that traditional healing does provide a cure and the positive views were
Objective: Due to the large number of Black South Africans known to consult
with traditional healers and the influential role they play in the developing
world, this study investigated the approaches of a group of 15 traditional healers
toward the treatment of cleft lip and palate.
Design: An exploratory-descriptive, qualitative research design was employed,