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	<title>Comments on: Sangomas at university</title>
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	<link>http://www.reasoncheck.com/2009/07/16/sangomas-at-university/</link>
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		<title>By: Lindiwe Mpila</title>
		<link>http://www.reasoncheck.com/2009/07/16/sangomas-at-university/comment-page-1/#comment-952</link>
		<dc:creator>Lindiwe Mpila</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov 2011 07:44:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.reasoncheck.com/2009/07/16/sangomas-at-university/#comment-952</guid>
		<description>This person is not that very well informed and needs to do thorough research before he/she can criticise what they know little about. I do not think that an institution like WITS would add such a faculty when they know very well that it would lower their standard in their institutional ratings.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This person is not that very well informed and needs to do thorough research before he/she can criticise what they know little about. I do not think that an institution like WITS would add such a faculty when they know very well that it would lower their standard in their institutional ratings.</p>
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		<title>By: Vusi Moloi</title>
		<link>http://www.reasoncheck.com/2009/07/16/sangomas-at-university/comment-page-1/#comment-217</link>
		<dc:creator>Vusi Moloi</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Dec 2009 02:00:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.reasoncheck.com/2009/07/16/sangomas-at-university/#comment-217</guid>
		<description>There are scientific reasons why it&#039;s important for the Unversity of Witwatersrand to offer university degrees in the Sangoma profession. The University runs the risk of being irrelevant if it does not adapt. Western societies have been gradually losing patients to alternative medicine or health care. Non-Western medicine like Chinese Acupuncture, among others, have grown explosively and many even command their own universities and colleges (including research institutes) in North America.

Medical science has been losing ground because it has also become some kind of a religious institution based on Darwinist thinking. The Darwinist philosophy has resulted in a number of poor approaches towards curative medicine because of an inherent belief in adapt, mutate and so forth. If you believe in adapt then you are not going to remove a problem because you can always adapt to it. If the problem kills you it means you were not genetically fittest. This Darwinist strategy also has an economic advantage because the shareholders become profitable this way because for as long as the problem exists, we will treat it. In this way it&#039;s not advantageous to remove the problem completely. Look at a simple illness like flu, it has been with us for centuries and yet western medicine has not found cure for it and yet when you go to a pharmacy you find an endless cocktail of how to fight or treat cold.

Contrast that with an Africanist approach which takes a systems approach (some call this holistic) whereby the problem must be eliminated. If you follow that approach then you are going to make a good faith attempt to get rid of the problem. Colon cancer is very high among White South Africans particularly English South Africans. The same disease is almost non-existent (less than 1 per 100 000) among the African population. Part of the reason has to do with the Sangomas who recommend the remedies and the preventative diets which effectively eliminate colon cancer among the African population. The Africans who might suffer from this are those who live in cities like Johannesburg and have adopted western lifestyle.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There are scientific reasons why it&#8217;s important for the Unversity of Witwatersrand to offer university degrees in the Sangoma profession. The University runs the risk of being irrelevant if it does not adapt. Western societies have been gradually losing patients to alternative medicine or health care. Non-Western medicine like Chinese Acupuncture, among others, have grown explosively and many even command their own universities and colleges (including research institutes) in North America.</p>
<p>Medical science has been losing ground because it has also become some kind of a religious institution based on Darwinist thinking. The Darwinist philosophy has resulted in a number of poor approaches towards curative medicine because of an inherent belief in adapt, mutate and so forth. If you believe in adapt then you are not going to remove a problem because you can always adapt to it. If the problem kills you it means you were not genetically fittest. This Darwinist strategy also has an economic advantage because the shareholders become profitable this way because for as long as the problem exists, we will treat it. In this way it&#8217;s not advantageous to remove the problem completely. Look at a simple illness like flu, it has been with us for centuries and yet western medicine has not found cure for it and yet when you go to a pharmacy you find an endless cocktail of how to fight or treat cold.</p>
<p>Contrast that with an Africanist approach which takes a systems approach (some call this holistic) whereby the problem must be eliminated. If you follow that approach then you are going to make a good faith attempt to get rid of the problem. Colon cancer is very high among White South Africans particularly English South Africans. The same disease is almost non-existent (less than 1 per 100 000) among the African population. Part of the reason has to do with the Sangomas who recommend the remedies and the preventative diets which effectively eliminate colon cancer among the African population. The Africans who might suffer from this are those who live in cities like Johannesburg and have adopted western lifestyle.</p>
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		<title>By: naly</title>
		<link>http://www.reasoncheck.com/2009/07/16/sangomas-at-university/comment-page-1/#comment-66</link>
		<dc:creator>naly</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:16:25 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description>i dont think its a bad idea to get sangomas to the universities,thou im very sceptical about the origin of this,or rather the idea behind this thought. sangomas are special beings born with special gifts,like our psychics,bt i neva heared of anyone suggesting psychics must go to univerities,is it because they are educated,what are they going to be thought hygiene or to change their belief systems and become more acceptable to communities than they are now.we must be very careful of losing the little we have,because we want to westernize everything.we are faced with a big challenge coz most pple do not want to recognise nor acknowledge their callings becouse being sangoma means losing yourself and become a new self.i would like to enroll to that university and experience this new adventure</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>i dont think its a bad idea to get sangomas to the universities,thou im very sceptical about the origin of this,or rather the idea behind this thought. sangomas are special beings born with special gifts,like our psychics,bt i neva heared of anyone suggesting psychics must go to univerities,is it because they are educated,what are they going to be thought hygiene or to change their belief systems and become more acceptable to communities than they are now.we must be very careful of losing the little we have,because we want to westernize everything.we are faced with a big challenge coz most pple do not want to recognise nor acknowledge their callings becouse being sangoma means losing yourself and become a new self.i would like to enroll to that university and experience this new adventure</p>
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		<title>By: Juno</title>
		<link>http://www.reasoncheck.com/2009/07/16/sangomas-at-university/comment-page-1/#comment-53</link>
		<dc:creator>Juno</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 17 Jul 2009 08:55:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.reasoncheck.com/2009/07/16/sangomas-at-university/#comment-53</guid>
		<description>Great post.  While I think&#039;s its a brilliant idea to teach sangomas how to recognise diseases for what they are,  I agree that  there is a danger that this move will give credence to pseudoscience. Next thing we know, we&#039;ll have crystal therapists, aromatherapists and assorted peddlers of snake oil getting Wits degrees.  And don&#039;t get me started on that.  Thanks for visiting my blog.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Great post.  While I think&#8217;s its a brilliant idea to teach sangomas how to recognise diseases for what they are,  I agree that  there is a danger that this move will give credence to pseudoscience. Next thing we know, we&#8217;ll have crystal therapists, aromatherapists and assorted peddlers of snake oil getting Wits degrees.  And don&#8217;t get me started on that.  Thanks for visiting my blog.</p>
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