Herbal Medicine & Healing Traditions
A Journey of Connectedness
More than 130 participants from 18 countries across 4 continents attended the Brackenhurst Workshop. They included traditional healers, elders, scientists, researchers, donors and advocates.
The workshop aimed to:
- Bring attention to the work that traditional healers are already doing to prevent transmission of HIV and care for those infected and affected by HIV
- Give traditional healers themselves the chance to discuss their understanding of AIDS and its related illnesses
- Share therapies related to traditional medicine and talk about the best ways forward
- Encourage discussion and foster dialogue on the potential of these approaches
- Deepen relationships between healers and the larger scientific HIV/AIDS community
The workshop was structured around four questions:
- Why do we have AIDS in the world now?
- What are our experiences with AIDS in our communities?
- What are our experiences caring for and treating those affected and infected?
- What have we achieved in terms of treatment? How have we tested and shared these achievements?
Over the course of three days, participants shared their experiences, understandings, and wisdoms. The discussions and experiences of this workshop were documented in the publication, A Journey of Connectedness - Workshop on Traditional Medicine and HIV/AIDS.