Abstract
This article will discuss the epistemology of symbols employed by African traditional medical practitioners in treating their patients and the essence of such symbols among traditional communities across the continent. Relying on diverse studies by other researchers and my own investigation conducted among the Igbo of south-eastern Nigeria, this paper will explore relevant aspects of African traditional medicine as they relate to symbols employed by the practitioners in their effort to offer health care and general wellbeing to their clients.
Highlights
Various studies have been conducted on the subject of symbols and traditional medical practices in African communities—and I will be referring to such studies in this discourse—this article will dwell largely on the semiotic and phenomenological implication of African medical symbols.The paper will be divided into three sections
The first section will dwell on definition and clarification of terms, especially as they touch on the concept and application of symbols in African medicine
This section will underscore the customary nature of traditional medicine—which makes the employment of symbols rather imperative—by drawing attention to some key differences between traditional and modern medical practices
Summary
This article will discuss the epistemology of symbols employed by African traditional medical practitioners in treating their patients and the essence of such symbols among traditional communities across the continent. Relying on diverse studies by other researchers and my own investigation conducted among the Igbo of south-eastern Nigeria, this paper will explore relevant aspects of African traditional medicine as they relate to symbols employed by the practitioners in their effort to offer health care and general wellbeing to their clients
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