Meet Godfrey Madlalate who shares his journey and his experience of how the role of Traditional Health Practitioner has become a sought after natural health option for all South Africans.
“I was privileged in that, as I started my journey as a healer in 2000, there was a conscious effort by South African healers to get formal recognition by the South African government, through direct interaction with the national Department of Health.” Says Godfrey
African traditional health practitioners worked tirelessly with the national Department of Health between 2003 and 2010 to officially recognise and formalise our healing work. The pinnacle of this process was that former President Thabo Mbeki assented to the Traditional Health Practitioners Act No.22 of 2007 in a landmark parliamentary ruling. The act allows government to regulate the work of all traditional health practitioners in South Africa and to deal with misconduct by healers. A special Directorate of Traditional Medicine was established within the Department of Health and the at least 10 per cent of the national health budget was reallocated to this directorate. An Interim Council for Traditional Medicine is also in place since circa 2008. We argued that we, as healers, could not be regulated by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) due to the complex nature of our work and inadequate documentation of our work, let alone our modes of training and practice approaches. It is my hope that the interim council will soon transform into a permanent council.
The Traditional Health Practitioners Act No.22 of 2007 classifies traditional healing work into four categories viz.
- Herbalists;
- Diviners;
- Traditional Birth Attendants (midwives);
- Traditional Surgeons (circumcision ritual specialists).
This classification does not recognise the entire spectrum of healing in South Africa but provides a comprehensive perspective of the situation on the ground. The recognition of traditional healers in South Africa has not been an easy journey and remains incomplete at this stage. We do hope that the finalisation of the Council on Traditional Medicine will provide for the standardisation of training approaches, medical aid claims and professional recognition for healers. It remains a bridge too far.
Outside of the scope of government, healers have made inroads into the establishment of formal tertiary qualifications for traditional healers. A case in point is the Mhlabuhlangene School of African Medicine in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal. They offer diplomas, bachelors, honours, masters and PhD programmes in African traditional medicine as well as theology and are fully accredited by the relevant higher education authorities up to National Qualifications Framework Level 10. Amongst the highest qualifications they offer is a PhD in healing science. The entire mindset that healers are barbaric, unhygienic, dirty, uneducated, misguided and dangerous to society has to change rapidly. We have worked tirelessly to change the face of healing in this county. What is actually amazing is that the calling to become a traditional healer (herbalist, diviner or prophet) has nothing to do with one’s educational background. We have academics, politicians, bureaucrats, sports personalities and ordinary working-class citizens who have been called to heal by their ancestors. I should also caution those who think that healers worship their ancestors. On the contrary, we venerate our ancestors and worship God. This is part of our unfortunate history in that, when the Christian missionaries and explorers first landed in Africa, they changed our ways of living and belief systems. Traditional and Indigenous belief systems were demonised as being barbaric and ungodly. It is my ongoing wish that young South Africans will in future register for higher education studies in healing as well as indigenous knowledge systems.
I have not been privy to recent studies and surveys, but we estimate that we have in the region of 750 000 traditional health practitioners in South Africa currently. In the early 2000s, this number averaged circa 550 000. Traditional health mentors (‘abo Gobela’ in familiar speak) remain very key in achieving successful traditional healing outcomes, as they play a significant role in the training and mentoring of healing initiates.
The policy on African traditional medicine is central to the implementation and praxis of our traditional belief systems. We use mostly herbs, shrubs, trees (90 per cent) as well as salts and chemicals (five per cent) coupled with animal skins, bones, and oils (five per cent) to make healing herbal preparations that keep our people in good spiritual, mental and physical health. One of my greatest wishes would be to see a primary health care system for South Africa that encompasses integrated approaches and collaborations between clinical medicine and African traditional medicine.
My perspective on the role of traditional health practitioners in South Africa
The African traditional healer of the precolonial era was a leader in society. These healers were very pivotal in regional and national decision making, seated next to our kings and queens. They were responsible for a lot of societal deliverables that included, among others, the following:
- Rain making for the local regions;
- Assisting the kings, queens and other traditional leaders with advisory and decision making in the context of ensuring the wellbeing and protection of the nation;
- Precolonial primary and tertiary health care systems, including surgery and midwifery;
- Strategy and scenario planning for the nation through prophecies, divination and predictions;
- Domestic animal welfare and care;
- Overseeing cultural rituals and ceremonies;
- Counselling the general population;
- The regular sourcing of herbs and shrubs for processing and the ultimate treatment of humanity.
Beyond precolonial Africa a lot has changed due to the advent of ‘modern civilisation’, colonisation, repression, political systems and the resettlement of our people, education and technology. The modern-day traditional healer works in a highly restrictive and regulated environment that stifles the creativity and versatility of our approaches and methods. It remains our task to ensure that traditional healers operate in optimal environments despite facing numerous challenges. When we introspect our roles in present-day South Africa, we realise that our central role remains to foster social cohesion and nation building, this to be followed by the building and rebuilding of nuclear families. We are, alongside traditional leaders, custodians of our culture and heritage. Our core daily duty remains to divine and treat our patients. We also have a mammoth task of balancing the earth’s energy points through several spiritually inspired rituals and ceremonies that include rain making. We are an integral part of the practitioners that have to ensure that we live in harmony with nature and its ecosystems. The complexity of colonisation compels us to educate the youth on African indigenous knowledge systems. We have to strive to empower the African children and adults to thrive in the diverse and interfaith community that we have become.
The ancestral calling is unique and not limited to black Africans only. South Africa boasts a few white, coloured and Indian traditional healers who were trained and mentored amongst familiar lines. We have to preserve the beauty and integrity of our diverse community. I personally had to sacrifice an entire professional career in the built environment in order to take up work as a traditional health practitioner on a full-time basis. This is my 22nd year in the field and I have gathered a lot of wisdom in the process.
My appeal to the younger and recently initiated traditional healers is that their conduct should remain dignified and full of integrity at all times.
Godfrey Madlalate, Dip (Herbalism) has been working as a traditional health practitioner since 2001 and is based in Soweto, Johannesburg. In 2000 he spent a year receiving training as a healer. He specialises in bones divination, physical treatment and energy balancing of individuals using African traditional medicine modalities. His other passion remains patient counselling and life path alignment.
He is the owner and MD of Madlalate Management & Development Consulting. He’s a part- time management consultant and previously worked in the private sector in a management capacity since 1993. He is highly experienced in the fields of project management, urbanisation development, enterprise development, corporate strategy and scenario planning.
“Not only does eliminating meat, eggs, and dairy help protect the planet, it can also have a big impact on something else: our sex life.” Going vegan can increase serotonin levels, which can both boost sex drive and increase happiness. Here’s why a vegan diet can improve your relationship with sex, encourage a more active sex life, and increased libido.
Many vegan foods boost blood circulation and provide nutrients that feed the brain, because not only do we want to boost circulation we want to boost your brain – your sexiest organ – but it also boosts circulation to other parts of your body that you want to work properly.
It’s simple: increased blood circulation = better physical response = better sex.
People who consume more fruits and vegetables are less likely to require certain medications which may reduce libido and sexual performance. Plant-based diets can also help to unclog arteries from the fatty deposits caused by meat and dairy and increased blood flow will inevitably help with sexual activity, affecting men especially and if you really want to improve your sex life, it is vital to eat a whole food diet focusing on plant-based protein sources. Plant-based foods are heavy in zinc and vitamins B, which can increase libido: bananas, chickpeas and, avocados, in particular, are good for this. Going vegan can also increase serotonin levels, which can both boost sex drive and increase happiness. Serotonin levels are also linked with oxytocin levels, the “love hormone” that creates stronger feelings of intimacy and affection Stock up on leafy green, figs, pumpkin seeds and almonds all of which elevate hormones and sexual desire.
Eating for Better Sex
GREENS
Spinach is a potent source of magnesium, which helps dilate blood vessels, according to Japanese researchers. Better blood flow to the genitals, as you’ve learnt, creates greater arousal for men and women. Spinach and other green vegetables, like broccoli, Brussel sprouts, kale, cabbage, swiss chard ad bok choy, are also good sources of our favourite sex nutrient – folate.
THE ‘C’ FRUITS:
One study shows that vitamin C may increase libido in women. Another finds that people who eat foods high in vitamin C report better moods and have more sex. We’ll take that as another good reason to eat more Vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables. But there are many other sex and heart-healthy reasons to get enough of this antioxidant. It helps boost blood flow, meaning that both sexes can get frisker, faster. Something else to note, men who consume at least 200mg of vitamin C a day improve their sperm counts and motility, according to research at the University of Texas Medical Branch.
Grapefruit contains 120% of the recommended daily allowance of 90mg of vitamin C for men. Other excellent sources are kiwi, mango, oranges, spanspek, strawberries, broccoli, tomatoes and leafy greens. Watermelon in particular are filled with high concentrations of ‘good-for-sex’ phytonutrients lycopene, beta carotene, and, the big one, citrulline, which is particularly exciting for its ability to relax blood vessel,
Studies at Texas University indicate that when you eat watermelon, the citrulline is converted into the helpful amino acid arginine. “Arginine boosts nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels, the same basic effect that Viagra has, to treat erectile dysfunction and maybe even prevent it,” explains Dr. Bhimu Patil, director of the University’s Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Centre
NUTS AND SEEDS
Pumpkin and sunflower seeds, almonds, peanuts, walnuts and other nuts contain the necessary monosaturated fats with which your body creates cholesterol – and your sex hormones need that cholesterol to work properly. In ancient times walnuts, long linked to fertility, were thrown at newlyweds for success in conception. The shell, resembles a man’s scrotum; the inside flesh is vulva-like in form – these nuts make a perfectly sexy snack.
Pistachios contain plant cholesterol that can produce a 10-point drop in your triglycerides and a 16-point decline in your LDL (bad) cholesterol, reports the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. Brazil nuts are the richest source of selenium a mineral that has been linked to preventing cancers of the prostate and colon.
Pecans deliver the most antioxidants of any nut. Adding them to your diet may reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Walnuts, almonds and other nuts also reduce levels of LDL cholesterol and a compound called lipoprotein that increases clotting and can lead to a stroke,
Sunflower seeds pack the highest natural vitamin E content of any food.
PLANT POWERED PROTEIN
Protein is so important to weight maintenance that you should eat it with every meal and snack. Proteins boost metabolism a little more during digestion than any other type of food. Kidney beans and black beans are full of muscle-building protein. While they may not be the best choice for a side dish if you plan on sex for dessert, building your meal plan around a foundation of beans and legumes will ultimately pay off for you sexually. Many studies show that bean-eaters are leaner and healthier people than people who don’t eat beans. Beans are also full of cholesterol-lowering soluble fibre. A quarter cup of red kidney beans delivers three grams of fibre, plus more than 6000 disease-fighting antioxidants.
OATS AND OTHER WHOLE GRAINS:
Eating oats is one of the few natural ways to boost testosterone (T-levels) in the bloodstream. Healthy T-levels plays a significant role in sex drive and orgasm strength in both men and women.
Oats contains L-arginine, the amino acid that enhance the effect nitric oxide has on reducing blood vessel stiffness. Like Viagra, it helps relax muscles around the blood vessels in the penis. When they dilate, blood flow increases so a man can maintain an erection. Studies show that L-arginine also improves blood flow to the clitoris and tissue surrounding the vulva.
Oats and other whole grains, like whole-grain bread, brown rice and barley are not only great for better sexual health they also promote better cardiac and digestive health .They are slow-burning, complex carbohydrates that won’t drive your blood sugar through the roof. They keep you feeling fuller longer and provide excellent energy.
Try a bowl of raw oats with fresh berries, banana and a drizzle of maple syrup (pure maple sap) before sexy time
Whole grains will provide an even flow of that brain energy and their B vitamins also nourish the nervous system. One of the best whole grains you can eat is quinoa – this nutty-tasting grain is a good substitute for rice or pasta. It has a fewer carbohydrates than regular cereal grains and, even better, it contains all the essential amino acids of a “complete” protein like eggs.
CACAO
You may have always believed that eating chocolate made you happier, but cacao has the facts and stats to make that belief a reality. Cacao contains the “bliss chemicals” phenyl ethylamine (PEA) and anandamide. The body naturally produces these two chemicals when excited; in fact, PEA is naturally released when someone falls in love or engages in sexual activity. Since these two chemicals are also shown to increase libido, it suddenly makes sense why chocolates are such a popular Valentine’s Day gift. There are wonderful vegan chocolate options available to tempt any taste bud; 70% plus cacao being best.
STAWBERRIES AND OTHER BERRIES
Red is sexy. Red is passion.
Researchers in the University of Rochester in the US conducted experiments on the undergraduate students to see if there was any real connection between the colour and sex.
In one, male and female students viewed images of women on red or white backgrounds. The men found a woman’s image on red more attractive than on white, while the female students did not.
In another test, men were asked to rate attractiveness of pictures of women on red, white, grey, green or blue backgrounds. As expected, the men scored the women on the red background as more sexually attractive.
Strawberries can be considered sexy for another reason besides their sensual colour: they are high in vitamin B, folate which helps prevent birth defects, and vitamin C, a potential libido booster. .
Ideal for a great breakfast in bed, so you have energy for round two, both berries contain compounds that are thought to relax blood vessels and improve circulation for a natural Viagra-like effect. Plus, they are tremendous work-horses for pushing excess cholesterol through your digestive system before it can be broken down, absorbed and deposited along the walls of your arteries.
AVOCADO
The ancient Aztecs called them testicles. Hanging in pairs from trees, the fruit is so suggestive that Catholic priests in Spain once forbade parishioners from eating them. But beyond their shape, avocados have a strong connection the testes, the production centre of sperm, due to their high folate
content.
ASPARAGUS
This phallic vegetable has been associated with sex since the first hunter-gatherer spotted shoots popping out of the forest floor the springtime shoots are loaded with vitamin B that increase levels of histamine, a neurotransmitter that facilitates orgasm. Green asparagus spears are rich in rutin, a potent scavenger of free radicals. The crowns also have high levels of the chemical protodioscin which may improve sexual function. “Protodioscin has been shown to boost arousal and even help combat erectile dysfunction in some men”, says Dr. Lynn Edlen-Nezin, co-author of Great Food, Great Sex.
BANANAS
If you suffer from a bit of sexual anxiety, eat a banana before you hook up.
Banana’s deliver the feel-good neurochemical serotonin into the bloodstream, which elevates mood and calms the nervous system. Bananas also contain potassium, a mineral that increase muscle strength, an element crucial to orgasm.
CELERY
Every stalk is packed with androsterone and androstanol, two pheromones that can help men attract women. “When you chew a stalk of celery, you release androsterone and androstanol odour molecules into your mouth. They then travel up the back of your throat to your nose”, says Dr. Alan Hirsch, author of Scentsational Sex: The Secret to Using Aroma for Arousal. “Once there, the pheromones boost your arousal, turning you on and causing your body to send off scents and signals that make you more desirable to women”. This crunchy natural breath freshener can benefit anyone. Packed with the right combination of water, sodium and potassium, celery has been shown to reduce blood pressure and clam anxiety. And since it’s 90% water, you can eat as much of this low-kilojoule, high-fibre food as you want without regret.
CHILIES
Chilies contain the chemical capsaicin, which triggers the release of endorphins. It also stimulates nerve endings, increasing metabolism, raising your heart rate, causing flushed cheeks, sweating and other physical effects that mimic arousal.
FIGS
Considering their resemblance to female genitalia (when sliced in half), its no surprise the fig has been historically lauded as a sexual symbol. The ancient Greeks are said to have celebrated the arrivals of the fig crop with wild sex rituals. Nutritionally, figs make sense as a sex snack.
Like blueberries, they contain more soluble and insoluble fibre than most fruit and vegetables and they are rich in many nutrients important to good sexual health, including potassium, magnesium, iron, manganese, calcium and antioxidants. High in simple sugars, a squatter-cup serving ell boost your serotonin levels and provide a quick energy life.
FLAXSEEDS
Sprinkle flaxseeds on your cereal, yogurt or ice-cream for a shot of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which are the major building blocks of all sex hormones. One tablespoon of the nutty-tasting seeds helps increase T- levels
MAPLE SYRUP
Loaded with Zinc, Maple syrup (pure Maple sap) is scientifically proven to be a food item that can boost the reproductive system of men. Apart from this, the food item also has manganese which helps in the production of sex hormones in both men and women.
POMEGRANATE JUICE
There are a lot of reasons to eat and drink more of this fruit. When scientists at the University of California studied the pomegranate, they found that it is rich in polyphenols, antioxidants that allow blood to flow through your veins – a key component of good sex.
In support of ‘Why Vegans Make Better Lovers’…
A study conducted in 2012 showed that ditching meat and dairy can greatly improve our mood as a result of the consequent natural increase in serotonin levels – and serotonin is what keeps us happy. Other research has even shown that vegans have lower instances of depression and anxiety than meat-eaters do and are more likely to be optimistic about the future. Being happier doesn’t just make us more attractive to potential suitors – it also means we feel better about ourselves. There’s no better aphrodisiac than self-confidence, and the happiness that comes from going vegan is just what’s needed to get busy between the sheets.
Vegans smell (and taste) better. One of the amazing effects that going vegan has on our bodies is changing the way we smell and taste – and all for the better. A 2016 study on body odour found that people eating plant-based smelled significantly better than those eating meat, while some people say that when men eat vegan meals packed with fruits and veggies, their semen tastes sweeter.”
Source: https://www.peta.org.uk/
A gentle healing way to bring body, mind and spirit together, release stress, get creative energy to flow and feel centred and connected.
This form of dance is simple and easily learned and is a beautiful blend of traditional, classical, reggae, pop, and ethnic music. It is invigorating and creates a sense of belonging, a connectedness and in some instances a feeling of ‘coming home’
The circle is a symbol for unity, for community. The circle is the oldest form of dance on the earth. It allows everyone, whatever age or background, to feel safe to relax and discover the joy of dancing.
The dancers hold hands and the circle moves as a unit so there are no concerns about being watched, making a fool of yourself, getting it ‘wrong’! It’s not just about getting the steps, but about enjoying the spirit of the dances and the sense of oneness and peace that moving rhythmically in a supportive circle can bring.
In the mid-seventies an extraordinary German Ballet Master, Bernhard Wosien, who had a passion for Folk Dance, took some of the dances he had collected on his travels through Europe to the spiritual community of Findhorn in Scotland. He intuitively knew that these dances contained energies that the world so needs now, and would help heal the rift between humanity and the Earth, the separation between us and our roots.
Helen Dodge is the founder of The Green Net, a community-based environmental organisation on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal. The group provides environmental education, facilitates networking and undertakes practical projects to protect and nurture the natural environment and its residents. These include activities that help rivers (such as the removal of litter and alien invasive plants, rehabilitation of riparian zones and phytoremediation); reforestation and the establishment of organic food gardens to restore soil and promote food security; waste management initiatives including recycling and EcoBrick projects; the promotion of sustainable building materials, particularly hempcrete; supporting ecotourism initiatives in the region; and environmental advocacy through increasing community awareness of – and objections to – polluting and/or illegal activities such as offshore mining, illegal sand mining, the unnecessary damming of rivers and other activities that threaten biodiversity and exacerbate the impacts of climate change. https://thegreennet.org.za/
