Malawi claims to be a God fearing nation. This analogy is no longer objective, as it depends on how one understands and intepret God fearing. I would not want to wade into stormy waters of who dominates over the other between christianity and Islam, as recent National Household and Population census figures have not been inspiring, to say the least. For instance, the 1998 census was doged with alot of problems including that of enumarators who could not return data collected to the National Statistics Office-NSO to foce it pay their wages. Allegations of political machinations to show which ethinic group was the largest in this country, also made it on the list of challenges that left some of us doubt the authenticity of such figures.
That is a topic for discusion at some time in the future, but today am focusing on media industry and traditional healers who often enjoy being called 'Doctors'. Both electronic and print media are these days awash with advertising for their services. Others have taken the unconventional approach of advertising their trade by occupying strategic positions as it is the case at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre. They perched themselves near the entrance into the hospital's premises. That is well and good for visibility.
However, I have problems to understand services the claim to render like marriage protection, protecting peoples homes, charming wayward husbands or wives back into their marriages and even have the audacity to claim that they help business people through coaxing customers to patronise their businesses. I choose to brand the latter as corrupting peoples mind.
Now this is where the hypocrisy comes into play. How do they, i.e the traditional healers, then go and seek conventional advertising in the media for their services if they have ability to charm customers to patronise somebody's business? Why not do the same for themselves?
On the other hand, I question our media industry ethics. Granted that advertising is an intergral part in the sustainability of the industry. However, I would believe that this survival should not be on the pretex of feeding Malawians half truths and lies. Currently, to my knowledge and government contends, AIDS has no cure and yet a radio station can accept to sell 30 minutes of airtime to a traditional doctor who claims to cure AIDS. Whose interest is media serving in this case? Does this border on ethics or morality? So in a nutshell, I have a conviction that the media industry should change this survival tool of having our media industry being awash with traditional healers adverts that come in different forms and brands. Strange names as well, which I am conviced dilutes the medical profession and real Doctors who spend time and resources to qualify to be one. How could one just wake up from his dream and claim to have been directed by his late grandfather's spirit to be a traditional doctor, and straight away claims to be 'Doctor'? Let marketing experts be inovative enough to find other sources of financing media industry operaions rather than feasting on lies and illusions of the traditional medicine.
Tim, I agree with you about these adverts of traditional healers though I don't have a problem for them using the title Doctors. Some of the adverts are so ridiculous that when you look at them its a day light robbery.
ReplyDeleteBut I think its also about time we look at things we made to believe. For example, I have had flu symptoms myself many times and my parents used to give me herbs and after taking them I got better all the times. Why shouldn't we then admit that works. That is just one example.
The reason is, the west made us to believe that everything we do is rubbish and can't taken serious. In that way they have also killed our creativity. They argue that its not proven but when somebody gets well then what more prove is there be done.
They made us to believe that AIDS have no cure but come on guys if somebody claims to have find the cure why dismiss them? Why not work with them to prove that their discovery is worth it or not? But no as long as the claim and discovery is coming from Africa its a rubbish.
I believe that we have been made to believe that our own ideas are useless, our own people including ourselves are not worth it.
Just even think of history, they made us believe that Dr David Livingstone discovered the likes of Lake Malawi, haha come on, this is another joke on us. Livingstone found people living along the lake but yet he was the one discovered it. Just because they were African people then its pretended that they never existed and unfortunately we still teaching children in schools such ridiculous history. If it says the first European to reach lake Malawi that would make sense to me.
So we have to look at some of these things and not dismiss them all. There's nothing impossible in my opinion and finding the cure of AIDS is not a mission impossible whether it happens in America, Europe, Asia or here at home in Africa. The only thing is that when somebody makes such a claim bring them on public and let them prove their findings and if he/she is found to be ripping and misguiding people then lets give them jail time because they are crooks.
There are some adverts you have mentioned about bringing lost lover, making business grow should at all time be discouraged. If these people knows how to make business success then why not do their own business and leave their dirty business of being a herbalist.
Kalikodi Crook Banda
Email-> kalikodi@kalikodi.com
Kalikodi, I do agree with you on some of the issues you have raised. I strongly believe that there is something really that we Africans are not aware of concerning AIDS. There are theories that it is an invention by them so that they can broaden market for drug manufacturing companies. Am yet to did deeper into it. Keep on writing, write again.
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