The politics of knowledge on Covid-19 indigenous medicine in Uganda

Abstract

Covid-19 was a health risk that threatened the health and well-being of people. The scale of Covid-19 demanded innovative solutions. In Africa, indigenous health solutions such as spiritual and indigenous herbal therapies were central to combating Covid-19. In Uganda, indigenous medicine captured the imagination of a nation struggling to secure vaccines and clinical treatments for Covid-19. This experienced contestations over the determination of the nature and type, ownership and protocols of indigenous medicine acceptable for Covid-19. Among the protocols was the subjection of Covid-19 indigenous medicine to formal approval by the National Drug Authority (NDA). This was contested as costly, un-African, and a deliberate move to undermine the power, authenticity, and efficacy of indigenous medicine. As such, Covid-19 indigenous medicine became a center of power of knowledge conflict. The question of whose knowledge matters in solving local health issues was evident. This chapter exposes the nature and implication of the politics of knowledge on Covid-19 indigenous medicine to the health and well-being of Ugandans. The chapter argues that persistent conflicts of knowledge on the power, authenticity, and efficacy of indigenous medicine in dealing with Covid-19 promoted health and well-being risks.