Re-igniting folk medicine: An analysis of the resurgence on the use of Traditional Medicine for Self-Care in Zimbabwe.

Abstract (English)

This paper interrogates the resurgence and increased use of traditional medicines amongst the Zimbabwean urban communities. For the past forty-five years, most urban dwellers have extensively relied on biomedicine or western medicine, rather than traditional medicine for medical treatment. Traditional medicine was mostly associated with those living in rural communities and was an uncommon sight in most urban areas. Remarkably, there has been a sudden surge in the use of traditional medicine by most urban dwellers. In every corner of the city, there are herbalists, street sangomas (traditional healers) and ‘herbal-preneurs’. However, no studies have investigated the sudden shift in using traditional medicine for self-care among urban dwellers. This paper established that most urban dwellers shifted their attention to traditional medicine due to the significant increase in the cost of health care and unavailability of certain prescribed biomedicine. Findings further reveal that urban dwellers regarded this shift as reconnecting with their cultural traditions and traditional healing systems.