The world is in transition. Things are evolving. Traditional systems are giving way to Science and Technology. New developments are taking place each and every day. As the Akan Adage says “3mmer3dane a dane bi”. When the system is changing, change to fit in.
Evolution is good but the adoption of new systems does not necessarily mean we should throw away our traditions or our way of living or our ways of doing things. We have come a long way as a people and no matter the system we find ourselves in there should be traces of who we are as people. Our way of doing things has changed so much that we are losing ourselves as people. I remember during my childhood when I fractured my
leg accidentally while playing football, my mother took me to this old woman who massaged the leg each day for one week until I couldn’t feel any pain anymore. Others who had severe injuries were brought to these traditional physiotherapists who use herbs and Shea butter to massage and heal these wounds and fractures.
Today you hardly find these traditional physiotherapists because as people we have given way too much to science and technology. I had the opportunity to talk to the only traditional physiotherapist in my vicinity (Osu Agblanshi). Emmanuel Aquaye started working as a traditional physiotherapist in his late twenties.
He is almost sixty and you could tell he has been working as a traditional physiotherapist for almost forty-five. After speaking to him about his work, and the challenges he faces, I realize we have little left to talk about with regards to our way of doing things as people. Emmanuel Aquaye explained that people do not buy his services like they use to because a lot of them rely on nurses and doctors when they get injured.
He made mention of the fact his service has given way for people with strokes who can’t even walk the opportunity to walk again. A fact other individuals were willing to attest to. He indicated that he visits his patients in their house to take care of them, relying on herbs and Shea butter. Infants are brought to him, and he massages them in a way that makes them healthy as they grow.
Emmanuel made one kwaku man who had been wheeled for 10 years to walk through his services, that was magic! These are things I have experienced as a child and I can attest to. The challenges he faces are strong competition from nurses and doctors. For over decades now these traditional physiotherapists have given a lot of us the strength we have today to continue working and progressing. This system has been with us for ages
and it has never failed us. These are systems we can trust because they always express our way of doing things as people. I believe is about time the government put up initiatives to support our traditional physiotherapist in doing their work and in so doing will help maintain some of our ways of living. We can maintain our identity as people. Modernization is good but it shouldn’t cost us our identity at the end of the day. We should rather promote our identity, culture
and heritage through modernization. I believe the government has what it takes to help in keeping some of our traditions which are fading gradually. We as people have the responsibility of ensuring that our traditions are protected and maintained.
By: Betty Kotoka
