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Rating: 
Summary: Interesting insights into traditional African healing
Review: Right after WWII, Rae Graham arrived in Africa as a young British nurse, one of only eight white women living among 250,000 blacks. She soon realized that in order to relate to her patients, she needed to understand their culture. She felt an inner drive to become a "nyanga" -- that's the Venta word translated "witch doctor" although, frankly, I would prefer the word "shaman" -- and although it was very unusual for a white woman to do this, she was eventually accepted and trained by other Venta healers. The book is filled with fascinating stories and anecdotes about her "double life" -- as a witch doctor and a Western medical nurse -- and provides some very authentic insights into what African traditional healing is like. She also deals with the negative side, i.e., the "sangoma" witch doctors who cast curses, etc. although she herself does not practice this. Mostly, she "throws the bones" -- a form of psychic reading similar to Tarot cards, I guess. Specific bones are used for this, and each bone has a special significance. A nyanga's collection of bones must be acquired in certain ritual ways, when the person is ready to have them, i.e., you can't just go out and buy a set. As she explains, a nyanga functions primarily as a psychologist and an herbalist. For serious medical problems, she referred her patients to the clinic. The fact that she knew and understood traditional African medicine enabled her to win the trust of her clients so that, if she said they needed Western medical treatment, they went. A similar type of co-operation exists today in the USA between native and medical healers, but this did not begin to happen until the 1980s. Rae Graham was way ahead of her time.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting insights into traditional African healing
Review: Right after WWII, Rae Graham arrived in Africa as a young British nurse, one of only eight white women living among 250,000 blacks. She soon realized that in order to relate to her patients, she needed to understand their culture. She felt an inner drive to become a "nyanga" -- that's the Venta word translated "witch doctor" although, frankly, I would prefer the word "shaman" -- and although it was very unusual for a white woman to do this, she was eventually accepted and trained by other Venta healers. The book is filled with fascinating stories and anecdotes about her "double life" -- as a witch doctor and a Western medical nurse -- and provides some very authentic insights into what African traditional healing is like. She also deals with the negative side, i.e., the "sangoma" witch doctors who cast curses, etc. although she herself does not practice this. Mostly, she "throws the bones" -- a form of psychic reading similar to Tarot cards, I guess. Specific bones are used for this, and each bone has a special significance. A nyanga's collection of bones must be acquired in certain ritual ways, when the person is ready to have them, i.e., you can't just go out and buy a set. As she explains, a nyanga functions primarily as a psychologist and an herbalist. For serious medical problems, she referred her patients to the clinic. The fact that she knew and understood traditional African medicine enabled her to win the trust of her clients so that, if she said they needed Western medical treatment, they went. A similar type of co-operation exists today in the USA between native and medical healers, but this did not begin to happen until the 1980s. Rae Graham was way ahead of her time.
Rating: 
Summary: delightful biography
Review: This book gives the reader an exceptionally clear portrayal of life in sub-sahara africa, having spent quite a bit of time there myself. It shows the transition of the author's life over a whole generation and gives good insight into the struggles associated with bridging the cross-cultural gaps. It is written in such a way that you feel like you are sitting at the fire-place listening to the author tell her story. The style is not as grammatically precise as I am used to in British authors, but is still easy to read. Well worth a relaxing week-end!
Rating:
Summary: delightful biography
Review: This book gives the reader an exceptionally clear portrayal of life in sub-sahara africa, having spent quite a bit of time there myself. It shows the transition of the author's life over a whole generation and gives good insight into the struggles associated with bridging the cross-cultural gaps. It is written in such a way that you feel like you are sitting at the fire-place listening to the author tell her story. The style is not as grammatically precise as I am used to in British authors, but is still easy to read. Well worth a relaxing week-end!
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