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L. Oyewole Arohunmolase
Adeyemi College of Education, Nigeria

 

     

The Effects of Globalization on the Development of the Indigenous/Traditional Yoruba Healing Methods

The Yoruba indigenous or traditional healing medicine has in no doubt developed from mainly oral transmission into both oral transmission and the written form. The old indigenous Yoruba traditional medicine- men did not know how to read and write the names of the roots, the bark of trees, the leaves of trees, and stems that they use in the preparation of their healing and curative medication. Globalization, a recent occurrence that affects the economic, social, political and cultural changes all over the world has also affected the current development of the indigenous Yoruba healing methods. The effects of globalization on the indigenous or traditional healing methods have led to the publicity of the Yoruba healing methods in our radio and television stations in Yoruba land, In other parts of Nigeria , and all over the world. Yoruba traditional or indigenous healers with the development of modern information and communication technology (ICT) in the world, and the links among societies and they work together as part of an interrelated world system have taken the advertisement of their healing, and medication methods to the websites on the Internet. They open e-mail addresses and also give their advertisement trade and mobile and land phone numbers to prospective clients. The revolution in the information and communication technology (ICT) has helped immensely in the rapid production and dissemination of information about the traditional Yoruba healing methods across the whole world. News and ideas on the indigenous Yoruba healing methods are transmitted through the satellite television stations and the Internet within minutes or hours across the world. “The Guardian newspaper” , Monday, May 24, 2004 , testifies to the fact that, globalization has helped in no small measure in the development of the Yoruba and the Nigerian healing methods. It was reported in “The Guardian newspaper” , that, eighty (80) percent of people in Nigeria now consult the “Traditional Medicine Practitioners”. Traditional Medicine Practitioners (TMPs)”, now give primary health care to a vast majority of people with or without government approval. These Traditional Medicine Practitioners, with adequate information, education, and communication strategies now contribute to the awareness creation, prevention, and the reduction of the spread of “Human Immune Virus and Acquired Immuno-deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS)”, Malaria among others.


Africa Conference 2005: African Health and Illness
Convened by Dr. Toyin Falola for the Center for African and African American Studies
Coordinated by Matthew Heaton Webmaster, Technical Coordinator: Sam Saverance