Kutambuwa ugonjuwa: Concepts of illness and transformation among the Tabwa of Zaire

Abstract

Beginning with the description of a single instance of problematic illness, this paper moves toward the comprehension of Tabwa therapeutics by placing them in their most complete conceptual context. Decisions made regarding methods of treatment, the loci of therapy (both physical and social), and the means of assessing therapeutic effectiveness reflect an epistemology which includes the overlapping domains of physiology, diagnosis, divination and religious and magical practices; domains whose different contents are nevertheless tightly interwoven by a relatively small number of underlying principles. The articulation of these principles makes clear that Tabwa concepts of illness and transformation form a coherent whole within which both traditional and European medicines take their appropriate and complementary places.