African Indigenous Knowledge and Traditional Medical Practices in Ghana

• In Event: African Indigenous Knowledge and Research

Abstract

The landscape of traditional medicine in Ghana has undergone different phases of transformation. From a purely indigenous mode of transmission of knowledge based on folklore and traditional practice to one that has been influenced by the so-called modern regulatory frameworks – for developing Indigenous medical knowledge forms – to suit the modern agenda of the post-colonial state. In this pursuit, scientists in Ghana have worked assiduously to transform various aspects of traditional medical knowledge to conform with the so-called modern scientific practices. This has resulted in the recognition, formalization, and institutionalization of traditional medicine to improve healthcare delivery in the country. The attempt at imposing modern forms of knowledge production on the traditional medical system has led to a situation where some traditional practitioners have contested the state-led effort to develop traditional medicine because it mainly concentrates on giving credibility to their practices through laboratory tests based on biomedical standards. Seasoned traditional knowledge bearers have questioned why they must practice their ‘own traditional knowledge’ in the context of modern science. This paper discusses the conflicts arising from the transmission and practice of traditional medical practice in Ghana. It provides some historical context to the changing state policies on traditional medicine in Ghana and the nuances in constructing traditional medical knowledge forms within the context of modern science and the transformations therein. The paper argues that tradition has its standards, which cannot be measured accurately, using modern science.

Author

• Diana Amoni Ntewusu, University of Ghana