Introduction

M OST OF THE EXISTING STUDIES on traditional healers in Africa were conducted by Western anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists, and psychiatrists. Researchers such as Margaret Mead,

Jahoda (1961), Kahn and Delk (1973), Kramer (1970), and Kelly (1965) elicited vital information by living with so-called "natives" in different cultures in the developing world. Information derived from these studies has contributed to the field of psychotherapy, even though Western scientists view traditional healing systems, such as those prevalent in Africa, as primitive and non-therapeutic (ldowu, 1985).