CollaborationbetweenTCMandAfricanTMpractitionersispossibleandwillprofitbothsides.Bothmedicinesarecomplementary.
KoukouviGuyAlbertApelete,Chairman,TogoleseTraditionalMedicinePractitioners’Association
FORSamsonSoyoye,2016wasayearoftwolandmarks.Hesayshissongotmarried,exitingfromthe“Bachelors’Association,”andtwobatchesofstudentsgraduatedfromtheAfricanCollegeofTraditionalMedicine(TM),theorganizationhefoundedinNigeria’sOgunStatealmosttwoyearsago.
Soyoye,whoisalsopresidentoftheOgunStateTraditionalHealers’Association,hasstartedthree-monthandsix-monthcoursestointroducestudentstotraditionalherbalmedicine,diagnosisandcureofgeneralaswellashereditarydiseases,andhowtoprepareandadministerTM.The68-year-old,wholearnedTMfromhisparentsandthenhoneduphisknowledgebyattendingthenNationalCollegeforNaturalMedicineandattendingworkshopsandseminarsinotherWestAfricancountries,outlinesthemanyreasonsAfricanswillcontinuetouseindigenousmedicinesdespitetheadventoftheWesternmedicine.
Thepluspoints
“TMhaspermanentcureofdiseasesandnosideeffects,”hesaid,emphasizingtheholisticnatureofthesystem.“Italso[non-surgically]controlssituationswhere[Western]doctorswouldbequicktouseoperations,likewhenbabieslieinthebreechpositionintheirmother’swomborarrestingbleedingafterchildbirth.”
AccordingtotheWorldHealthOrganization(WHO),theaffordabilityofTMandaweakdistributionsystemofWesternmedicineisanotherimportantfactorfortheuseofTM.“MostpharmaceuticalsinAfricaareimported,whichsignificantlyincreaseshealthexpenditureandleavespeoplevulnerabletointerruptionofthesupplyofmedicines,”WHOsaysinareport.
Finally,thereisaverystrongculturalrootthatTMcontinuestoenjoy.AstudyofTMinTanzaniapublishedin2015-TheDeterminantsofTraditionalMedicineUseinNorthernTanzania:AMixed-MethodsStudy-foundcredibilityoftraditionalpracticesandstrongculturalidentitiesamongthefivemainreasonsfortheuseofTM,includingamongwell-offfamiliesandprofessionals.Wazees-elders-andfamilymembersareaprimarysourceofhealthcareknowledge.Asa44-year-oldwomanwasquotedinthestudy,saying,“MyfamilyandIprefernottogotohospitals.Mygrandparentstaughtusalot[especiallyaboutplantroots]abouthealingandcuring…Myfatherstillwillnotuseanyhospitalmedicines.”
“Manyexpressedadistinct‘foreignness’associatedwithbiomedicines,”thestudysaid.“Thedoctorsofmedicine(MDs)agreedwiththissentiment.OneMDstated,‘TheconceptoftakingpillsonadailybasisisseenasadistinctlyWestern[AmericanandEuropean]thing,’anda53-year-oldmanwentasfarastosay,‘MostofusbelievethattheWesternpeoplecameheretoundermineusanddeterourlocalmedicines.Ithinkthattheywanttocolonizeusagain.’”
SuchperceptionswouldhavebeenbolsteredbyeffortsinsomeAfricancountriesduringcolonialgovernmentstobanTM.Forinstance,inthe1960s,non-allopathicmedicalcollegeswereclosedinSouthAfrica.TheWesternmediaandHollywoodhavealsoplayedalargeroleinthedemonizationofAfrica’sTM,creatingfablesaboutwitchdoctors,voodooandblackmagicandderidingthesystemasunscientific.
Soyoyesaidonlythosepractitionerswhodonotknowwhattodoattributetheirworktowitchcraft.“Ihavenobeliefinthat,”hesaid.“WeneedtohaveeffectiveTMbecauseofitslowcostand[absence]ofsideeffects.”TheAfricanCollegeofTMalsoteachesitsstudentsthedifferencebetweenthepracticeofTMandoccultism.
AfterthewaveofindependenceinAfricaandnationsseekingtheirownpan-Africanhealthbodiesandlaws,WestAfricanstatessignedaprotocolinAbuja,Nigeria,in1987tofoundtheWestAfricanHealthOrganization(WAHO).WAHO,whileseeking“toattainthehighestpossiblestandardandprotectionofhealthofthepeoplesinthesub-regionthroughtheharmonizationofthepoliciesofthememberstates,poolingofresources,andcooperation,”isalsoforpromotingTM.
Anuntappedtreasure
In2001,theAfricanUnion(AU)SummitinLusaka,Zambia,declaredtheperiod2001-10wouldbeobservedas“theDecadeofAfricanTM”withanactionplandrawnforpoliciesandfunding.Twoyearslater,August31begantobeobservedannuallyasAfricanTMDay.In2011,theAUConferenceofAfricanMinistersofHealthinWindhoek,Namibia,discussedtheend-of-decadereviewreportonAfricanTMandrenewedthedecadefrom2011to2020.
However,accordingtoOlajuwonOkubena,co-founderoftheResearchInstituteofTraditionalandAlternativeMedicine,aLagos-basedNGO,TMisstillaninformalsectorinAfrica,especiallyNigeria,thoughitisoneofthecontinent’sbiggesteconomiesandhometoawealthoftraditionalmedicinalherbs.“Nigeriaisnotearninganythingfromtheover$60-billionworldtradeinherbalmedicine.ThereisnopoliticalwilltoestablishandinstitutionalizeTMintothenationalhealthcaresystem,”saidthe74-year-old,whosecompany,HealthForever,exportsnaturalhealthproductstotheUnitedStates,EuropeandotherAfricancountries.
“Ifproperlyhandled,therevenuegeneratedbyTMcanrivalthatfromcrudeoil,asevidencedbytheenormousrevenuegenerationoftraditionalChinesemedicine(TCM),”Okubenaadded.“MostcountrieshavedevelopedtheirindigenousTMsystemtoenviableheights.Insomeinstances,suchcountrieshaveexportedtheirTMknowledgetoothercountries,therebyearningmuch-neededforeignexchange.”AfricanTM,hesaid,whilecontributingtothewealthofAfricathroughexportearnings,wouldreduce“theunnecessaryexpenditureonimportofallopathicdrugs.”Itwouldalsogenerate“massiveemployment,”whichwouldcontributetosocialstability.
InDecember2016,theEighthScientificCongressofTraditionalandConventionalMedicinePractitionerswasheldinLomé,Togo,toidentifythemajorchallengesAfricanTMcontinuestoface.Besideslackofuniformgovernmentpoliciescontinent-wide,lackofeducationandtrainingisanothermajorblock.WhilesomecountrieslikeGhana,BurkinaFasoandNigeriahaveestablishedtrainingprogramsanduniversitycurricula,lackoffundsishamperingthework,especiallyconstructionoflaboratories,whichiscriticalforresearch.WAHODeputyDirectorLaurentAssogbatoldthecongressthathisorganizationisseekingfundingforTMpractitioners.
“ThisiswheregovernmentsneedtointervenetoprovidetheneededfundsfordevelopmentasisdoneinothercountrieslikeChina,”Okubenasaid.“DevelopedcountriesarenowresortingtoherbsandnaturalproductsbuttheyarenotendowedwithpowerfulherbalplantslikeinAfrica.TherearenumerousAfricanherbswhich[cantreatdiseases]butthereisneedforresearchfundstodiscoverthemandthencommercializethem.”
OlajuwonOkubena(left),founderandManagingDirectorofHealthForever,inthecompany’straditionalmedicinalherbfieldinLagos,NigeriaCOURTESYPHOTOATMplusTCM
KoukouviGuyAlbertApelete,ChairmanoftheTogoleseTMPractitioners’Association,hasbeenpracticingTMsince1945afterlearningtheskillsfromhisgrandfather.ApeletealsooccasionallyusesTCM,whichisspreadinginAfrica,afterhavingfounditsimilartoAfricanTMandeffective.
SinceMarch2012,followingtheFirstChina-AfricaInternationalCooperationandDevelopmentForumonTCMandPharmacyinCapeTown,SouthAfrica,therehasbeengreatercollaborationbetweenAfricanTMandTCMpractitioners.MoreAfricansarereceivinginstitutionaltraininginTCMinChina.
“CollaborationbetweenTCMandAfricanTMpractitionersispossibleandwillprofitbothsides,”Apeletesaid.“Bothmedicinesarecomplementary.”
(ReportingfromNigeria,TogoandBeijing)
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