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Babu wa Loliondo : Healing the Tensions between the Tanzanian Worlds

Vähäkangas, Mika LU (2015) In Journal of Religion in Africa 45(1). p.3-36
Abstract
Tanzanian Ambilikile Mwasapila aka Babu wa Loliondo, a retired Lutheran countryside pastor, suddenly became the most visible media personality and healer in East Africa for half a year in 2011. He had received dreams in which God provided him with the recipe for a herbal medicine that would heal all maladies. Lutheran bishops who had all but abandoned the elderly pastor in his former remote mission field eagerly approved his ministry, while reception in Charismatic churches was mixed. After initial suspicion, the government strongly backed him, and the national research hospital vaguely endorsed the medicine, which is essentially the same as traditional medicine in several ethnic groups. Thus, in this ministry modern scientific, Christian,... (More)
Tanzanian Ambilikile Mwasapila aka Babu wa Loliondo, a retired Lutheran countryside pastor, suddenly became the most visible media personality and healer in East Africa for half a year in 2011. He had received dreams in which God provided him with the recipe for a herbal medicine that would heal all maladies. Lutheran bishops who had all but abandoned the elderly pastor in his former remote mission field eagerly approved his ministry, while reception in Charismatic churches was mixed. After initial suspicion, the government strongly backed him, and the national research hospital vaguely endorsed the medicine, which is essentially the same as traditional medicine in several ethnic groups. Thus, in this ministry modern scientific, Christian, and traditional worldviews suddenly corresponded, thereby easing the tensions between the three lifeworlds of Tanzanian Christians. After the deaths of several HIV-positive patients who had abandoned antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, the magic of the healer vanished. (Less)
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author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Babu wa Loliondo, pluralistic medicine, faith healing, herbalism, ritual, African Christianity
in
Journal of Religion in Africa
volume
45
issue
1
pages
3 - 36
publisher
Brill
external identifiers
  • wos:000359745200002
  • scopus:84940979085
ISSN
0022-4200
DOI
10.1163/15700666-12340029
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
337665b3-d5eb-4fb8-ad8b-9c12ecdab02d (old id 7792267)
alternative location
http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journals/10.1163/15700666-12340029
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:39:02
date last changed
2023-05-05 11:12:02
@article{337665b3-d5eb-4fb8-ad8b-9c12ecdab02d,
  abstract     = {{Tanzanian Ambilikile Mwasapila aka Babu wa Loliondo, a retired Lutheran countryside pastor, suddenly became the most visible media personality and healer in East Africa for half a year in 2011. He had received dreams in which God provided him with the recipe for a herbal medicine that would heal all maladies. Lutheran bishops who had all but abandoned the elderly pastor in his former remote mission field eagerly approved his ministry, while reception in Charismatic churches was mixed. After initial suspicion, the government strongly backed him, and the national research hospital vaguely endorsed the medicine, which is essentially the same as traditional medicine in several ethnic groups. Thus, in this ministry modern scientific, Christian, and traditional worldviews suddenly corresponded, thereby easing the tensions between the three lifeworlds of Tanzanian Christians. After the deaths of several HIV-positive patients who had abandoned antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, the magic of the healer vanished.}},
  author       = {{Vähäkangas, Mika}},
  issn         = {{0022-4200}},
  keywords     = {{Babu wa Loliondo; pluralistic medicine; faith healing; herbalism; ritual; African Christianity}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{3--36}},
  publisher    = {{Brill}},
  series       = {{Journal of Religion in Africa}},
  title        = {{Babu wa Loliondo : Healing the Tensions between the Tanzanian Worlds}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/15700666-12340029}},
  doi          = {{10.1163/15700666-12340029}},
  volume       = {{45}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}