Pediatrician advocates for recognition of African-based traditional medicine
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In Rio Grande, Brazil, pediatrician Regina Nogueira, known as Kota Mulangi, discussed the value of traditional African-based medicine alongside Western medical practices.
During a podcast episode titled “Equality and Black Culture, Voices and Territories”, Kota Mulangi explained that these two systems are distinct sciences with a shared goal of relieving pain and caring for people.
She believes her Western medical training improved after she became a macota, a practitioner within the African tradition, allowing her to view patients more holistically by considering their background, family, spirituality, and ancestry. Kota Mulangi emphasized that traditional African medicine should be seen as a unique knowledge system, not one of lesser value. She noted that terreiros, religious centers, and other traditional territories maintain and pass down this knowledge, utilizing herbs, plants, and other traditional practices.
She also pointed out that modern science has incorporated or adapted many of these ancestral understandings, such as in the field of herbal medicine. The conversation also addressed racism within healthcare. Kota Mulangi criticized the dismissive term “curanderismo” when referring to traditional practices and argued for respectful recognition of these traditions. She further explained that Black patients may encounter unequal treatment due to prejudice influencing how medical professionals assess their pain and health.
Kota Mulangi advocates for spaces, like terreiros, samba schools, and capoeira groups, that nurture children’s cultural development and well-being, moving beyond diagnoses to foster potential and combat discrimination.
