Page 58 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 9

MY AFRIKA
ways—left in the fragments of
material culture for archaeolo-
gists to unearth, or buried deep
in modern minds for psycholo-
gists to excavate, or preserved in
later ages by traditional societ-
ies, where anthropologists are
sometimes able to elicit them.
Secondly, some people’s prej-
udice makes them suppose
that there are no ideas worth
the name in the minds of the
ancients, whom they called
‘primitive’ or ‘savage’, mired in
“pre-logical” thought, or retard- Ancient Egyptian Surgical Tools.
ed by magic or myth. However,
there has not been any evidence
of any change in human brain
capacity or in human intelli-
gence since over 30,000 years
ago.
Medical practice in sub-Saha-
ran Africa is a combination of
the magical, the mythical, the
spiritual and the scientific. In
Africa, a human being is a per-
son, not just an individual. An
individual is one who is on his
own, who does his own thing,
goes his own way and separates
himself from others. He has
a ‘soul’, a ‘mind’ and a ‘body’,
all of which are distinct and at
times opposed. A person, on the
other hand, is a being who exists
with and for others. A person
is a person with and because of
others. A person cannot define
himself except in relation to
others.
African medicine does not just
involve herbs. In African med-
icine, the use of animal parts,
music, sacred chants, potent
speech, dance and touch are
prominent. In many parts of Af-
rica, animal parts such as liver,
58 | Heal . restore . rebirth . Afrika
These bronze and copper objects belong to the category of medical tools or
embalming instruments; indeed it is sometimes difficult to specify. We are here
in the presence of sharp objects of different types. On the first row, stand four
examples of different size of the same tool with blade and sharp foot. They are
similar to a doctor’s scalpel, but it is also often identified as embalming knife;
reserved for mummification. Source: Unesco.org
kidney, gall bladder, and gizzard to use a more technical term,
are burnt to ashes and used as immortalized. Just as Europe-
part of herbal ingredients for an scientists such as Galileo,
various illnesses. For example, Faraday, Newton, Descartes and
cow tail and liver burnt to ashes Einstein, have been immortal-
are said to be a good remedy for ized in our memories, so also
diabetes. An energetic analysis do Africa heroes deserved to be
of these animal parts shows that remembered and appreciated
these organs are high vibratory not just by Africans but also by
organs with high electromag- the world.
netic fields and taking them
as medicine is a good way of Even though Orunmila is re-
transmitting these energy waves garded as the founding father of
to the diseased organs. African-Yoruba medicine, the
Legend has it that the earli- title of ‘father of Yoruba med-
est form of healing in Africa icine’ is accorded a man called
is vibrational healing. As an Osanyin. Osanyin had the gift
example, among many others, of communicating with plants.
the Yoruba of western Nigeria He could so attune himself to
have a highly developed system the energy field of plants that
of vibratory healing. The found- through his perception of the
ing father of African-Yoruba vibration of these plants, gain
medical practice is a man called knowledge of their uses. As a
Orunmila, who, like many other young man, whenever he was
African heroes, was deified, or, sent to the farm, he would