The Effect of Modernity on African Traditional Healing Methods in Budondo Sub-county, Jinja District.

Abstract

NAJJUMA DORIS (2010-MO92-20028) The Effect of Modernity on African Traditional Healing Methods in Budondo Sub-county, Jinja District. The study sought to investigate the effect of modernity on African traditional healing methods in Budondo sub-county, Jinja district. Three (03) research questions guided the study; what are the traditional healing methods practiced in Budondo sub-county, Jinja district? What are the challenges in the availability and usage of herbal medicine in Budondo sub-county, Jinja district? And how can survival of African healing methods in Budondo sub-county, Jinja district be revived? The study used a cross sectional design with qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to collect and analyse data from 190 respondents including residents of Budondo sub-county, LC1 executive members, the police, religious elders, traditional healers, herbalists, representatives of Community Based Organisations and NGO‟s working in Budondo sub-county, Jinja district. A set of questionnaire and interview guides were used to gather data as well as observation and document analysis techniques. The data collected underwent content analysis through Excel computer programmes in order to quantify responses and generate frequencies and percentages where applicable which was later analysed and presented, using qualitative and quantitative methods. The study found that the most common traditional healing methods practiced by communities in Budondo sub-county, Jinja district, were: use of local herbs like Namuvu/omwetango, katunkuma (eggplant), Iyombyo, ntulatula (Bitter amaruutuus and salanum-edsyphyslum) Mukasa/katwamusolo and Mukose (Simsim), Enkolimbo (French beans), Sere/olukakala (Bidden pillosa), Muyirikiti (Grypusisaab-yssia) and quail eggs among others and dieting practices like eating fruits such as; passion fruits, bitter lemons, pineapples, moringa among others. However, modernity had negatively affected the development of more research in these traditional healing methods whereby through their propaganda in formal education, Christian religion and mass media, the agents of „modernity‟ continue to preach against the use of many of these items for instance, the use of taaba (tobacco) and herbal medicine moulded and dried in clay soil (emmumbwa) often being discouraged calling it satanic and not hygienic, hence negatively effecting on African traditional healing methods. The study concluded that the greatest challenges in the use and survival of traditional healing methods in Budondo sub-county, Jinja district, were limited research and development in the medicines, poor hygiene associated with the medicines and negative attitudes towards the traditional healing methods, which come about due to influence of religions, negative propaganda, ignorance of users and lack of easy accessibility and wrong conditionalities attached to the practices of African traditional medicine practitioners. The study recommended that more efforts be done towards improvement of traditional healing methods in terms of standardisation, regulation, hygiene and elimination of unnecessary conditionalities during prescription. Such measures could go a long way in developing positive attitudes of potential users towards traditional healing methods and ensure the use and continued survival of traditional African medicine alongside modern medicine. Key Words: Modernity, African Traditional Healing Methods, Jinja District.