Traditional Healer Organisation for Africa (THO)
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Dear Mr. Hoff,
you wrote:
Dear Hugo,
My apologies for getting back to you so late but I have been busy
organizing information for the IHN-L network based in Sydney.Just today I got your message on the network about your brief
description of yourself and I am very glad to know more about who
you are. I will be putting something on the network about who I am
shortly.The issues you described to me last week about the insensitivity
of the Southern Africa health sector about people's cultural re-
alities and needs are serious indeed and are concerns which I also
share very deeply.
I was surprised again by the sheer ignorance we are confronted with
as supporters of indigenous ways and knowledge to be given the place
and attention they deserve. In Durban this very week, from 14-17/9,
the World Rural Health Conference is being held and they managed to
bring such a conference to Africa proceeding without even a mention
of indigenous healing and maybe ways to co-operate, co-ordinate, rec-
ognize, enhance, uplift rural health systems and practitioners.
I despair when confronted with such navel staring by the advantaged
biomedical agents. A whole African Minister, Dr. Zuma, is part of
this conspiration. I do not even want to presume that it stupidity we
are dealing with here, I still give them the benefit of the doubt,
but no it is to flagrant. Even the conference goers from the 'very'
developed world must have noticed the 'muti' traders on Durban's
streets.
I made submissions to the internet guestbook and would invite you and
via you the IHN-L subscribers etc. to do the same. We should flame
them at least so that they are not afterwards able to claim they had
an oversight.
They world rural and other health care into a monopoly by biomedicine
ignoring indigenous cultural wishes to death.
Here the web site address where you can find the congresses' guest-
book, objectives etc.
http://www.dbn.lia.net/comm/rhc
Now that we have this international network focused on Indigenous
Healing why don't we put these issues out for everyone to look at
and discuss? I think the subscribers of IHN-L will be much more
sensitive to these issues than many on the AFRO-NETS network.
I agree there but we have to keep trying if no one else does.
One thing I need from you are as many e-mail addresses of people
you know in Africa so I can send them information about the ihn-l.
We must get them on as subscribers quickly.The organization 'HEALTHLINK' which I found mentioned as an inter
esting international site on IHN site is the one that is hosting
and organizing the web site for the World Rural Health Congress.
They have been approached by me in order to help indigenous healers
and organizations unto the net, e-mail, web sites, nodes, etc.
Surely if the effort and energy would be spent in connecting in
digenous side of the coin as is spent on the biomedical side there
would be some list of addresses to share with you. As far as I know
is this e-mail address the only indigenous health electronic link
in Southern Africa.
Healthlink is financed by the Henry Kaiser foundation and I cannot
imagine they were to be selective with who they support, yet they are
as perspires from their deeds.
I took T.Dr. Maseko and close co-operatives myself to SANGONET Johan-
nesburg which is the umbrella organization for SA NGO's. They also
act as ISP and impressed the healers with the demonstration. More
will have to be done and I am just one lonely knight in African heal-
ing circles so it seems.
Please Mr. Hoff if you could sent a detailed letter/fax/e-mail ex-
plaining the benefits (again) of the internet and e-mail to T.Dr.
Maseko it would help speed the process because once Dr. Maseko is
connected others will see the opportunities and it would actually
make THO manageable over the 9 SA provinces and into the 10 African
countries THO has members in.
Please send my greetings to Dr. Maseko and ask him when is he go
ing to get a modem and get on our network. We need him and other
local leaders in the THO involved.
I was told that T.Dr. Maseko drafted and sent as letter to you.
Please Mr. Hoff act speedily with submitting to Durban's World Rural
Health Congress.
Thank you, I suggest you cross post this letter to IHN-l.
Hugo Van Damme
Project Coordinator
Traditional Healer Organization for Africa - NGOMA
mailto:ngoma@alpha.futurenet.co.za
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