106 BOOK REVIEWSTraditional Medicine in Modern Zimbabwe By Gordon L Chavunduka.Harare, University of Zimbabwe Publications, 1994, ix, 115 pp., ISBN 0-908307-40-3, Z$36.In the 'Preface', Professor Gordon Chavunduka says his book on traditionalmedicine in Zimbabwe was written in 'response to a call by nurses, moderndoctors, students, teachers, administrators, traditional or indigenoushealers and many members of the general public for an accurate descriptionof the role and work of African traditional healers in modern Zimbabwe'(p. v). The book meets this purpose admirably. It offers a clear andsuccinct description of traditional healers' current positions. It is wellwritten and will be accessible to a broad readership. The author is wellplaced for the task: he has been the President of the Zimbabwe NationalTraditional Healers Association (ZINATHA) since it was formed on 13 July1980 (soon after independence); he has trained as a traditional healer; andhe has, as a Social Anthropologist, conducted four studies of traditionalpractitioners.If the 1992 estimate was correct that Zimbabwe has one traditionalhealer (including traditional midwives) to every 250 persons (p. 54), thenChavunduka is informing us about the activities of a large sector of thepopulation. It is fitting that we should know about the basic tenets of theirbeliefs, their training, the hierarchy among them, and their specialities.They are of the people and have effects on the people. Chavundukaobserves that despite colonial attempts to suppress the traditional medicalsystem, it has continued. Indeed, he is moderate in his account of colonialdiscouragement of, and Christian disrespect toward, those who workwithin that system. He could have made much more, for example, of theresignation of the Dean of the Mutare Cathedral in protest over theappointment of the author to the Board of Governors of St Augustine'sSchool (p. 15). The Dean objected to the appointment of 'the Head of theWitch-doctors' Association'. He wrote 'It appeared to me, and still does,that Scripture clearly points out that God's people can have nothing to dowith "supporting" things clearly shown to be contrary to the Word of God. . . '(p. 15). Given a century of racism, war and oppression byrepresentatives of a purportedly Christian foreign state, that is surely anextraordinary cause for resignation.The autobiographical sections are fascinating: perhaps Chavundukawill expand these one day. He documents his own involvement in healing,his training, his role in securing (in 1981) legal recognition for traditionalhealers, and his firm stand in the face of a barrage of criticism. He ties hispersonal account to the history of ZINATHA and is refreshingly honestabout the problems with which he has had to deal (p. 27) and the lack ofsuccess within the organization in certain areas (p. 21).The chapter entitled 'Traditional health practitioners' gives the resultsof a survey of practitioners showing, for example, that 54,8 per cent arewomen; that most earn from their healing less than Z$30 a day; and thatmany undergo long apprenticeships of an informal nature. Many interestingaspects of healing are touched on in the book including the observationthat research is difficult (p. 32); that all healers specialize (p. 37); thatBOOK REVIEWS 107ritual is flexible (p. 82); that spirit possession can be an illness (p. 85); andthat ritual can help solve social problems (p. 86). These and other pointsare worthy of more extended discussions.The most controversial ideas are those contained in the last chapteron 'Witchcraft and sorcery' in which Chavunduka sets out to solve theconflict between traditional practitioners (who agree that witches existand cause illness) and modern health practitioners (who see their job aseradicating the belief in witchcraft). It is surely correct to call for a re-definition of witchcraft in the Witchcraft Suppression Act of Zimbabwe(Chapter 73), passed in 1889 as it is quite plainly wrong and offensive totraditional healers. In the Act, witchcraft is defined as, 'the throwing ofbones, the use of charms and any other means or devices adopted in thepractice of sorcery' (p. 103). Chavunduka commentsAs a matter of fact, this definition, which has remained unchanged to this day, saysnothing about witches and witchcraft. Throwing of bones is a means of divination,that is to say, a means by which a diviner or health practitioner determines, orattempts to determine, who or what caused an illness or other misfortune com-plained of by an individual or group of individuals. Another widely employedmeans of divination is spirit possession. Illnesses or misfortunes are not alwaysattributed to witchcraft. There are other possible causes of illness such as ances-tor spirits, angered or aggrieved spirits, bacteria and germs. Many charms havenothing to do with witchcraft. A large part of the traditional healer's practice isconcerned with prescribing remedies and preventive charms. Some of these charmsconfer or are believed to confer immunity against specific type of illness or toprotect the individual against misfortune. Other charms confer or are believed toconfer positive benefits such as physical strength, attractiveness to the oppositesex and other desirable qualities. There are other charms that are believed toprotect an individual or a group of individuals against witchcraft (p. 103).Further he says that the legislators failed to distinguish betweenwitchcraft and sorcery. Chavunduka wants the law to countenancewitchcraft accusations. There are, he says, three types of witches: thosewho inherit the spirit of witchcraft from a kin member; those who arepossessed by the spirit of a stranger or alien; and those who are madewitches by other witches through apprenticeship. It is the last type thatmost concerns him as he hypothesises that their type of witchcraft maybe objectively valid (p. 99). He says that, 'Cases of witchcraft obsessionthat I have studied indicate that sponsored witches practise their artusing methods of sorcery' (p. 99). Chavunduka says that there should bea law against witchcraft and sorcery; that it is the duty of the courts toprotect individuals from violent or non-violent reactions to accusations ofwitchcraft or sorcery; and that the courts should help to control witchesand sorcerers because their activities can make people sick or can killthem. The book ends with his assertion that traditional healers attend toillness caused or believed to have been caused by witchcraft and manypeople are cured.University of Cape Town PAMELA REYNOLDS