On Traditional Healers

Let them advertise their services
by Hastings Maloya

They were supposed to be known as traditional healers. It could simply mean that they can traditionally treat ailments and save lives. And thus what they have done over the years. They were supposed to be recognised as traditional doctors but nay they are better known as witchdoctors and are mainly associated with witchcraft and sorcery.

One would argue that apart from treating ailments, which ironically most people recognise and accept, the traditional healers are architects of witchcraft and the cause of harm on innocent people. It could also be contended that many people have failed to progress or have died earlier than normal because of the work of the local medicine people who are blamed for casting bad spells (matsenga) on guiltless individuals.

If we were given an opportunity to tell a story related to bad spells that we believe are a result of the work of medicine people, each one of us would tell a story different from another and we would think ours is classic! To a certain extent, people that trade in traditional or local medicines are not very welcome in our society. Much as they have been very helpful to most of us, and have assisted us in most trying times, we may not want to be allied with them. We can’t publicly tell of the assistance we got or we keep getting from traditional medicine people but we will be able to talk of any negatives associated with them. Most religious groupings may not want to associate themselves with people that have traces of traditional medicines.

Surprisingly, much as all of us are free to say all the negatives about the medicine people, rarely are they given an opportunity to give their side of the story let alone allowed to defend themselves through widely accepted media outlets. There is a problem here.

It is against this background that I suggest that these people be given an opportunity to tell their stories and advertise their services as much as they can and through any available medium. The choice shall be ours.

Historians and history books tell of witchcraft not only in Africa but the world over. If it’s a profession, then it’s a very old one. Issues of sorcery are not new and have been recorded in a lot of history books including religious ones. It is also said that since time in memorial there were people that had skills to do away with bad spells in a society. Much as it can be accepted that the causative agent of all reported cases of witchcraft and sorcery have been medicine people, it should also be recognised that it has been the same medicine people that have dealt away with those problems.

Recently a man who works around the Ginnery Corner in Blantyre challenged a known wizard that whatever he would try to do, his wizardry wont work. This was after the ‘known wizard’ threatened that he would turn computers into stones and bring thousands of butterflies into an office so that no one would work in that office. This was after some disagreements between the man and the ‘wizard’ – of course the disagreement was nothing to do with medicines. While accepting the existence of witchcraft and acknowledging that it is possible for people to cast bad spells on others, the man challenged that he was well protected him that not a single charm can cause any harm on him. His colleague said he believes in Jesus Christ and fears nothing. It seems the wizard left, he never did anything, and the butterflies were never seen to date.

Now thus the problem with our medicine people. They believe in threatening others and creating an environment of fear and danger. Some of them dress in a way that scares off level-headed individuals. They associate themselves with ominous wild animals like snakes. The vicinities they live in are shabby and in most cases they seem not believing that some ailments can have natural causes. To them any ailment is connected to witchcraft and bad spells (kulodzedwa). This is where we need to help them for a change.

Now coming to advertising. Recently there have been advertisements in the press about some traditional healers that are able to find jobs for the jobless (regardless of education? Search me). They claim that they can ably find stolen goods, can sort out any problems be if family or otherwise. They can make one a millionaire within days, they can help you find a partner in case you are looking for one and they can treat any disease.

After reading the advert, while others would wonder how possible these things could be, some people would want to give it a trial. Others will just throw away the newspaper while others will copy the contact details and make follow-ups. Thus how things are supposed to be. They call it freedom of choice and that of association. And whatever repercussions or results, there is nothing to do with an advertisement but the person who chose to make an attempt. In any regard a lot might have been assisted that way.

Traditional healers, or witchdoctors as they are commonly known today, are in business. As is the case in any business, they must advertise. It is said that doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark – no body knows what you are doing. It is up to the audience to make a decision on their own whether to go for it or not. These people must be allowed to advertise as much as they can. It could be the only way they would be given an opportunity to have their stories heard. If they are liars, we will realise after trying them.

Over the years we have heard of adverts of different medications especially from the west. This has been on the radio, in the newspapers and on television. Some adverts are very unrealistic to the effect of telling us that when you take a particular drug, only in less than a minute the headache or cough is gone. How could that be? But why have we accepted that and take it as part of our living? Shall we not accept our local medicine people to advertise because they are local or they do not deserve to be known?

We are living in an open society where technology is also advancing and everyone is free to make a decision provided one has the much-needed information. When the traditional healers or asing’anga are given an opportunity to advertise their services, and advertise widely, they will give people an opportunity to make an informed choices and it will also help to create an environment where people can easily discuss issues related to traditional medicines. Religious groups need to open up to these people and give them an opportunity to be heard.

Not all that is traditional medicine is bad. A lot of people have been assisted by traditional healers. As was sang by one Michael Mukhutho Phiri in the late 80s, “ kupanda mitengo iyi, ife tikanalowa” (if it was not for the trees, some of us could have been dead by now). The trees that Mukhitho talked about were nothing but the work of traditional healers, as the trees are their capital.

There could be an opportunity that we are losing or missing. It is only the availability of information that will make an informed society. Time to get things that are ours! Let traditional healers advertise.