Church invites traditional healers to fight diseases

by Staff reporter

2012 May 28 15:11:01 | 1990 Views

As the world continues to search for answers and a cure to a myriad of diseases that have wreaked havoc on the continent, many people including Christians have resorted to traditional remedies in search of treatment and relief.

The search for alternative treatment has seen churches and traditional leaders coming together to discuss means and ways to combat diseases. As part of their Africa Day Celebrations of Friday, senior Pastor at Celebration Ministries International, Pastor Tom Deuschle invited the Zimbabwe National Traditional Healers Association (Zinatha) to discuss alternative remedies at their church headquarters in Borrowdale.

"It is critical that conventional practitioners and traditionalists meet. It is a noble cause that practitioners from both paradigms share ideas, because at the end of the day the fight is against disease, not ideology," Deuschle told his parishioners during last week's Sunday service.

Last Friday saw experts ranging from science to intellectuals and traditional experts converge at the Celebration Church, as panelists for the medical discussion. Deuschle said the diversity was aimed at bridging the gap between traditional medicine and conventional medicine to achieve a common goal of eliminating diseases.

"As much as it attracts controversy, we are an open minded congregation and we embrace natural remedies," Nyasha Mabota a member at Celebration Church said.

Some members of the church we however, shocked by this decision. "These are divergent ideologies and really, I do not see where common ground comes in, witchcraft and the church? What link is there?" a shocked Celebration Centre member fumed at the forum.

Members frowned at the invitation of a traditionalist as part of the panel, sighting structural differences between the two schools of thought. Traditional healers on one had have turned a new leaf and are upgrading their practices.

Sekuru Friday Chisanyu is one traditional healer who has changed the face of traditional healing by opening in an ultra modern clinic in Harare. He runs a clinic and a computerised pharmacy with 130 herbs. Sekuru Chisanyu's surgery which boasts of computerised database of patients also has a full complement of ambulances. The ambulances carry patients to referral centres which include other traditional healers, conventional hospitals and medical practitioners.

"Traditional medicine should be embraced to bring together practitioners from both paradigms," pastor Deuschle said.

Richard Pambuka, a Harare man, agreed with Pastor Deuschle by saying: "Such a platform is long overdue, Zimbabwe needs this so that we can come up with a way forward, disease is the enemy."

Diseases Traditional

Source: news