RETHINKING THE PRIMITIVISM IN YORUBA ETHNOMEDICINE FOR CONTEMPORARY RELEVANCE

Abstract

It has become a recrudescent cancer to blame failures in Africa on the concomitant effects of colonialism. When discussing traditional African medicine, it is not uncommon to find claims such as orthodox medicine have overshadowed traditional medicine and that government has not given traditional medicine its due recognition. Since independence, one will expect that alibis as this should not rear their heads. However, as a result of advancement in science and technology, traditional medicine is denigrated as being primitive, unscientific, and unorthodox. This work sets as its problem, the case of primitivism against Yoruba traditional medicine which has made gloomy and dimed its relevance and effectiveness in contemporary times. In contemporary times, there is need to rethink African (Yoruba) traditional medicine towards rejigging and revitalizing it for sustainable health care delivery. This work critically examines the practice of Yoruba ethnomedicine and the accusation of primitivism against it. Beyond this, it advances way forward for its practice in the future in order to contribute to sustainable health care delivery. It employs the qualitative method of research using the critical, analytic and prescriptive tools.