The Loliondo Moment : Medical Rationality and a Triple Religious Heritage

Ccccc

Chambi Chachage

22 November 2011

Historical, Political & Religious Background

• Tanzania: Union of Tanganyika & Zanzibar, 1964• Population: ~44 Million (~21 Million cellphone users)

• Religion: Debatable Statistics (~33% Christians, ~33% Muslims [99% in Zanzibar] & ~33% ‘Indigenous’)

• Loliondo: Division in Ngorongoro District, Arusha Region – A Tourist Hub in Northern Tanzania

• Samunge: A Remote Village in Loliondo – About 400 KM (~248 miles) from Downtown Arusha

Video: NTV on The Loliondo Wonder

Popularization• Traditional Media:

Newspapers, Radio, TV

• New Media: Blogs, Facebook, Tweeter Texts, Listservs, Cellphones/Mobiles

• Religious Leaders: Anti & Pro

• Political Leaders: Passive & Active

• Personal Testimonies: Direct & Indirect

A Triple Religious Heritage

“In every area of life — dress, behavior, law, worship, and language — Africans have a triple

heritage ["traditional/indigenous", Islamic & "Western”] that often sends conflicting signals”

– Ali A. Mazrui’s Documentary on ‘The Africans: A Triple Heritage’

A Pragmatic Religious Heritage?

A Quest for Medical Rationality

“Unbiased professional medical input into this discussion has been  seriously lacking. I would ask your staff to make a real effort to  talk with senior hospital staff in Arusha on a regular basis. Balance the hearsay with medical facts”- Pat Patten, Director of Flying Medical Service, The Arusha Times 11 –

17 June 2011

An Ethnomedical Rationality?The Terms of References (TORs) provided by The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoHSW) of Tanzania to the National Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) and the Institute of Traditional Medicine (ITM) sought technical advice and recommendation on:

1. Ethnomedical claims and use of the remedy in the immediate community

2. Safety of the remedy as prepared and prescribed by Rev. Mwaisapile

3. Efficacy of the remedy as per claims by Rev. Mwaisapile

4. System for clinical follow up of patients taking the remedy

They reported that the results suggests that Carissa edulis has:

“antidiabetic activity which supports the ethnomedicinal claim of the use of the plant in the management of diabetes…”

“anticonvulsant activity which supports the ethnomedicinal claim of the use of the plant in the management of epilepsy…”

“blood pressure lowering activity which supports the ethnomedicinal claim of the use of the plant in the management of high blood

pressure…”

“hepatoprotective and antioxidant activity which are beneficial in the prevention of liver disorders and cancer and hence supports the

ethnomedicinal claim of the use of the plant against chronic illnesses”

“has potent anti-viral activity against herpes simplex viruses. Taking into consideration that, herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection is a

major opportunistic infection in immunosuppressed persons, these findings supports the ethnomedicinal claim of the use of the plant in

the management of HIV/AIDS as claimed…”

In line with medical rationality NIMR & ITM recommended that:

1.“Focused pre-clinical studies need to be conducted to establish pre-clinical efficacy and safety of the remedy”

2.“Standardization and formulation of dosages for human use ”

3.“The MoHSW should conduct clinical trial on the prescribed remedy to establish In vivo efficacy and safety in humans and answer questions on optimum dosage, dosing schedule and duration of treatment per ailment”

4.“The MoHSW should conduct

clinical follow up on all patients

recorded to have used the

remedy for their prognosis

using details filled in the

NIMR consent form”

“Plants from this genus have been used traditionally in Africa and other parts of the world to treat a variety

of disease conditions. The genus has also already been studied and various chemicals extracted and tested for their medicinal properties…I hope that

more African research institutions will be supported to do further studies especially on the identified

compounds to make 'medicine’ ” - Rose Shija, NPO-EDM – World Health Organization (WHO), 22 March

2011, Online Communication

Five elders of Samunge village who claimed that they have been using the tree to prevent 'cancer' and contain 'anthrax' and that it has also been a good treatment for pain in arms and knees/legs' joints when they boil and drink it as a soup; to them this knowledge was/is a heritage from their ancestors.

Science, Religion and Politics“I think it would be wise for the

government to hear testimonies from our colleagues who have

been administered the medicine because scientific research has taken long to complete” – Iddi

Azan, Kinondoni Legislator, in the Tanzanian Parliament, 11

November 2011

“We would have started conducting the research but we are yet to access funds. I would like to appeal to the public and members of parliament to be patient while waiting for the scientific research results”- Dr. Hadji Mponda, Minister of

Health and Social Welfare, in the Tanzanian Parliament, 11 November 2011

“Given our claims that other forms of thought are rational, how do we make sense of beliefs that are obvious false?” – Byron J. Good (1994: 11) on ‘Medicine, Rationality, and Experience: An

Anthropological Perspective’